Gunpowder and Cinnamon
by Yugioh13
Summary: "So let me get this straight, you want me to play matchmaker with you to bring Emma and Ben together, and in return, you'll leave me alone...forever." I asked, trying to figure out everything. "Unless you wish for me to come back into your life." he purred with a wide smirk. Reaver/OC and Ben Finn/Princess (Emma)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! Sooo...this is my first attempt at a Fable fanfic lol I'm a huge fan of the games and I've played through Fable 2 and 3 and fell in love with the characters. Even though I should probably hate Reaver and all of his evilness, I can't help but squeal every time he's in the scene. He's just funny and amusing to watch! This was originally a oneshot, but it became longer than a normal oneshot and I got extremely anxious to post this! So I just split it up into chapters and I'm going to start posting more chapters soon!**

 **Please let me know what you think! I apologize if Reaver seems a little OCC, I tried my best to get him exactly like his character! Please review and message me about what you think! I always respond to them! I hope you enjoy this! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fable. If I did, then Ben Finn and Reaver would have been people that you could marry. lol I only own Eliza.**

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Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

One of the beasts was in perfect range. The end of my rifle rested on top of the log pile that I hid behind. My finger moved to the trigger, waiting for the right moment to shoot.

Suddenly the beast moved out of range.

I cursed under my breath as I readjusted myself, trying to find a different angle to shoot.

The frigid mountain air blew in my face, making me shiver at the temperature. I pulled the fur shawl tighter around my shoulders to keep me warmer.

The beast stopped and glanced around to see if anyone was around. This made me lower my body further behind the logs. Thankfully, it started moving again.

I moved my trusty rifle over a little, following the beast as it moved slowly across the land, growing even closer towards the Mercenary Camp. If I didn't hurry, then the beast would get into the camp before the sun peaked over the horizon.

Failure wasn't an option.

I moved the muzzle over a little bit more, finally lining up with the beast. "There we go." I whispered under my breath. "Just stay like that."

Inhaling again, I could smell the aroma of fresh pine before exhaling. Ah, my favorite scent.

I had the shot.

My finger began to squeeze the trigger to take out my target.

"You know that you're doing it wrong." A voice spoke behind me, causing my body to jolt and tip my gun up higher. A bullet left the gun, firing it up into the mountains.

The smell of gunpowder filled my nose. Not just any gunpowder. A special kind of gunpowder that only one man had. A man who I absolutely hated.

My head whipped around to find the devil in a white waistcoat and a tall black top hat standing behind me. "I told you so."

I glared at him, growling under my breath. "I know how to shoot a rifle perfectly, Reaver."

"Clearly not." He responded snidely, ignoring my annoyed tone.

Ignoring him, I turned my body back around to see if that balverine I was hunting was still there. My heart dropped when I saw that it had disappeared. Where did it go?

"Oh dear, did it disappear?" he mocked. "Oh, such a pity."

"It's your fault that it's gone, Reaver!" I snapped at him, whipping my head around. "I swear if that balvarine kills one innocent villager, I won't hesitate to shoot you."

He tutted at me, drumming his fingers on the top of his elegant walking stick. "Oh you always threaten me with that. And yet, it still hasn't happened and I still live. And besides, it's going into the Mercenary Camp. Majority of those people aren't innocent at all. The camp is full of the most notorious murderers and thieves in Albion. Don't you remember those men I hired to wipe you and your little rebels out that night that you crashed my party?"

I huffed as I stood to my feet, keeping my rifle close to my side. "How could I forget? After all, one of your guests left this as a gift." I reminded him, pointing to the long thin scar that grazed my cheek.

A few months ago, Page, Emma, and I crashed one of Reaver's extravagant parties for a rescue mission and we ended up getting tangled up in one of his ludicrous games. The Wheel of Misfortune. We survived of course, until his guests transformed into a vicious pack of balverines and tried to rip us apart. Surprisingly, we made it out alive, but I got a souvenir to remind me of what happened.

"Again, I am sorry for what happened to you."

Rolling my eyes, I scoffed. "Yeah right."

"Well on the bright side, your face is still beautiful."

I shook my head in response. "Please, spare me the petty compliments. I know what kind of man you are, Reaver."

"Oh? And what kind of man am I?"

Tapping my chin with my index finger, I pondered over the very long list of words that described this conceited and arrogant entrepreneur. "Hmm…let's see. You're an egotistical greedy psychopath who doesn't care about anyone but yourself. Also you're a nymphomaniac with a lot of bizarre sexual depravities."

His lips twisted into that smug smile that I hated. "Oh sticks and stones, I've been called worse things."

I rolled my eyes again. "What are you doing out here anyways? You're a long ways away from Millfields."

He leaned back a little, taking a little pressure off of his cane. "Oh, the Queen wanted me to look at the damage on my monorail. She wants it to be back up and running again."

"Hmm, and hopefully it'll be hobbe proof." I responded, looking down at my rifle.

"That's what she wants me to do. But of course that means clearing out the hobbes that are still lurking around in those tunnels."

"Then by all means, go in there an kill them all yourself. And maybe if you're lucky, you'll get trapped in there with all of those creepy hobbes."

"Oh I couldn't have that. You'd miss me too much." He purred with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes and turned away, fixing my fur shawl that the dwellers from the Mistpeak gave me. "Look, I know that this is fun and fall, but why don't you go do your inspecting and leave me alone to my hunting."

"Now why I leave a fetching young woman out here alone to fend for herself?"

I scoffed at him. "Because I'm a woman who can handle herself." I told him before turning back around to my post, only to jump and squeak at the sight of the balverine standing only inches away from me. The beast snarled at me while I fumbled back to pull my rifle up. It moved closer, causing me to fall back onto my bottom and began crawling backwards frantically.

Just before it's teeth could take a bite out of me, a gunshot pierced the air and the balverine was knocked backwards until it fell over, dead.

My heart was racing so fast from the panic. Then I jerked my head back to see Reaver pointing his famous Dragonstomper .48 at the beast.

He pulled the gun back and smirked down at me. "You were saying."

Even though I was still freaked out, I quickly got to my feet. "Whatever. That was one time. I don't you to save me. I'm perfectly capable of my own safety." I told him, fixing my rifle.

"Oh? And tell me what you'll do when that beast's friends show up to rip you apart?" he asked, pointing behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder and paled at the sight of three more balverines charging up the hill towards us.

I twisted around and lined up my rifle to begin shooting at them. A few bullets whizzed past them and some embedded themselves into the ragged fur. I was able to shoot one in the arm, but that didn't stop it.

They were only a few feet away from us.

I began to panic. I've never faced this many balverines since that night at Reaver's mansion. I took all of them down, but I had Page and Emma there to help me. Usually, I only had one balverine to take care of. Or I was able to hide away and take them out from a distance. I had Reaver, but I doubt that he would help in the first place. He'd probably laugh in my face and taunt me for the rest of my life.

My worries were literally shot down when Reaver pulled his gun back out and began firing.

I quickly joined in and was able to shoot one of them down. Reaver shot another one and then we were able to take out the last one together.

All three balverines lay only a few feet away from us with their friend.

I let out the breath I was holding in and glanced at Reaver, who was smirking as he blew away the smoke that was coming off his infamous weapon, taunting me as the scent of his gunpowder filled my nose.

What could I say to him? He saved my life. As much as I hated him, I would always remember that he saved me from a horrible death.

"Is there something that you would like to say to me?" he drawled out.

Rolling my eyes, I let out a huff. "Thanks…" I mumbled.

"What was that? I don't think I heard you." He said, cupping his ear.

"Thanks…" I said a little bit louder.

"There, that wasn't so hard. Also, I think you should have also said, 'Reaver, you were right, I'm not completely-'."

I quickly cut him off by holding my rifle close to his face. "If you finish that statement, I'm gonna blow your head clean off your shoulders." I threatened.

He didn't even flinch or lean away from my rifle as he tutted me again. "Such a bad temper. You won't win a man if you treat him like that. However, I do love a woman with ferocity. It livens up things in the bedroom."

I gagged in response. "You're repulsive."

"Oh you love it."

"Maybe in another world." I told him as I went to gather my belongings.

"So there is a chance for us."

I ignored him as I pulled my pack over my shoulder and began walking back towards home. I had enough of him for one day.

"Where are you off to?"

"Home."

"And where is home?"

"None of your business." I responded curtly.

I could hear his footsteps and walking stick following me. "But we were having so much fun."

"Well I've had enough fun for one day."

"It's barely even morning. The sun is just rising."

"Exactly, I'm going to sleep for a few hours and then I'm going to work at the Academy for awhile until I go back out to hunt."

"Ahh…so you live in Brightwall now. I thought you'd move into Bowerstone Castle since you and the Queen are so close."

I hesitated for a moment as I climbed the big hill that led up to the village. "I prefer living in the countryside. I'd rather stay away from living in Bowerstone."

"Well to each their own. I don't really like that busy town either. That's why I prefer living in Millfields."

"With all of the other rich people." I added.

"But of course. However, my mansion is much biggest one out on the lake." He bragged.

"I know, I was there." I grumbled, holding onto the ropes that held up the bridge.

"And every day I get to look at that…tranquil…" he hesitated over that word. "Lake that everyone talks about."

I could tell that he was still upset over the Queen's decision to leave Bower Lake as it was. Reaver had proposed an idea to Emma a few weeks ago, asking her to drain Bower Lake and turn it into a mine. Of course she refused. It was the lake her mother, Sparrow, lived by before she became the Queen. It was a part of history.

So she refused Reaver's proposal, leaving him bitter over the situation. He pretended to be fine with decision, but people knew him better than that. Reaver just wanted to suck up and be on the Queen's good side. That's just who he was. A self-centered man who cared little for anyone but himself.

"I mean what's the fuss that everyone keeps making about? It's just a lake. There's probably a gold mine down there and she's too stubborn to see for herself."

"I get the picture, Reaver." I grumbled before I turned around to find him only a few feet away from me. "Look, I know that you love tormenting me like this and all, but I need to go back home. And I'd like it if you 'd let me go there…alone."

I didn't really want Reaver knowing where I lived. He'd probably come over just to spite and annoy me. Also he'd probably make fun of what kind of house I lived in. It wasn't even close to his big lavish mansion. It was just a little two story place just right outside of Brightwall.

"Oh come now, Lizzie. I can't be that bad to be around."

"Uhh…yeah, you are. And my name is Eliza."

I absolutely hated being called Lizzie. Almost as much as being called Elizabeth.

"But I like Lizzie, it suits you."

I shook my head. "Whatever, just go back to your inspecting and hobbe hunting. Leave me alone." I told him as I walked away. This time I didn't hear him follow.

"I shall see you soon, Lizzie!" he called to me in that sickly honeyed voice that made me cringe. "Tatty-bye!"

"Don't count on it, Reaver!" I yelled back to him as I neared the village.

This was our relationship. Arguing, failed flirting attempts, and aggravating. From the second we met face to face, it's been this way.

Before we met, I knew who he was. Well I knew of him. Reaver Industries was all over the industrial area of Bowerstone. He owned all of the big factories and he worked with King Logan at the time. I had heard many rumors about him. About his careless murders, his many sexual escapades, his lavish parties that selected high class citizens to be invited, including my parents. We all heard of him, but few of us saw the man in person.

When Emma's friend, Elliot, was murdered by her brother, she and Walter fled the castle, taking me along with them. We went into hiding for awhile to avoid being arrested for treason by supporting the revolution to overthrow Logan. When we made it to Bowerstone Industrial, that's where I met him.

We came upon a rally outside of one of Reaver's factories and saw a man leading a protest over how they were treated at the factory. Then a man with a very tall top hat stepped out onto the balcony and fired a shot at the protest leader. Then he went on about how people would be shot for taking breaks and complaining as he proceeded to shoot the leader until he lay there, dead.

My blood boiled at the sight. How could he do that? Shoot an innocent human and have no remorse. All because he wanted better conditions for his fellow workers.

From that moment, I hated him. I didn't even meet him and yet I had developed a deep dislike.

About a week later, I finally came face to face with him that night we infiltrated his mansion. I knew we were walking into a trap from the moment we walked into that place.

As we stood in the ring, my eyes locked onto his as he stared down at us like rats caught in a trap. I still remember that evil smirk that he gave as he spun the wheel. We were his entertainment at the party. Fighting for survival while everyone watched.

To his surprise, we survived and came out with a few cuts and bruises. Then he had the audacity to flirt with me and tried to invite the three of us into his bedroom! The nerve of that man!

The very thought of that made me want to throw up.

Now I'm not saying that Reaver was hideous. He was actually a pretty attractive man. Hair that was dark as coal, deep brown eyes that reminded you of chestnuts, a tall figure that was well toned, and of course that heart shaped mark on his cheek. Honestly, I hate to admit that I wouldn't mind going out on the town with him. However, after everything that he's done, I would never do it. He had no care for human life and he wronged so many people.

Also Emma had mentioned that her mother known him long before she became the Queen. That made me question his age. Not that many people knew how old Reaver was. Some just assumed that he was a grandson of the daring pirate, Reaver. But some things didn't quite match up.

Either way, Reaver was Reaver. One of the richest men in Albion, with the worst reputation. And for some odd reason, he just seemed to appear in my life.

I stretched my arms over my head and moaned as I tried to get the kinks out of my muscles.

All I needed was a good nap right now. At least I wouldn't have to see Reaver's face for awhile.

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 **How was that? Do you think this will be the last time that she'll see Reaver? Probably not lol I hope you liked the first chapter! I'll be posting the next chapter hopefully soon. I'm a full time college student and I'm doing my field work this year, so if I don't post right away, that's why. Please leave a review or message me if you want. Let me know what you think! Thanks guys!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this story! This story is definitely out of my comfort zone, but I'm really enjoying it so far! I'm trying to get the next chapter done before school gets more intense. Also if you get a chance, check out my other stories on the side. I've written Harvest Moon, Full Metal Alchemist, and Naruto fanfics. Hope you enjoy them as much as this story lol**

 **This was a fun chapter to write! I like having them argue with each other, well mainly it's her, but still XD Please review or message me about what you think! I hope that you guys enjoy this new chapter! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fable, if I did then Ben Finn and Reaver would have been people that you could marry in the game lol I only own Eliza.**

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 **Review Responses: Thanks to my reviewers for the first chapter! Hope you enjoy the new chapter!**

DaGanstar074- I'm really glad that you liked it so far! Don't worry, I've got several chapters on the way! ;)

RaegerXOXOHi!- I'm really happy to hear that you like my Harvest Moon story. I'm going to get back to it as soon as I can when I find some time. I have the next chapter halfway done and I'm working on it. I'm sorry that I haven't updated it in a long time, but I'm not giving up on it. I'm also going to be working on other projects on the side to help me with keep up my creativity. I hope that you check them out as well. Thanks! :)

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KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

I was rudely awakened from my sleep a few hours after I lay down. 'Who could that be?'

It wasn't common for me to have visitors. Unless it was Samuel from the Brightwall Academy, coming to inform me about something urgent within the library, which happened every so often. Most of the time, it was to kill a few Hollow Men that found their way upstairs to where the public was.

Also my house was right outside of Brightwall, away from the public. It's not that I wanted to avoid people, it's just that sometimes I just enjoyed being in the quiet.

And right now, it wasn't quiet.

Heaving a heavy sigh, I rolled out of bed and went downstairs to the front door. I didn't really change out of my clothes from this morning; they were pretty comfortable to do anything in them.

As soon as I opened the door, I immediately regretted it when I came face to face with those deep chestnut colored eyes and that sadistic smirk. "Hello Lizzie."

My mouth dropped in utter shock. "Wh-what are you doing here?!"

"Oh you know, I was in the vicinity and I thought I'd drop by for a visit."

"You…how...how did you know where I lived?"

He gave a shrug, not really caring about the anger in my tone. "Oh you know, I followed you home after you left. I saw you go into your house, went to inspect the monorail, and then decided to come and chat a little more."

I crossed my arms. "Did it ever occur to you, that I don't want to talk to you?"

"Well I could really care less about what you think, Darling. I just needed something to do and what better way to spend my time is to visit with my favorite...well I wouldn't really call you a 'lady', now would I?"

I wasn't amused at all by him.

"Now, are you going to invite me in?"

I could have just slammed the door in his face, but I let him in anyways. It was Reaver, he'd find a way in somehow. He always did.

He strolled in and looked around my house, taking in everything. "Hmm…well this place looks…quaint. Not really what I would go for."

I rolled my eyes, shutting the door behind me. "Well I am sorry that I don't live in a big mansion like you do."

"Oh it's fine. This suits you." He added as he walked further into the room. "Although, it could use a little…decor. I could always have one of my servants stop by to help you out."

Everything in my body was telling me to hit him. The last thing that I wanted was to have this smug jerk in my house, let alone near me.

After he was done looking at my little kitchen area, his eyes gazed at the steps that led up to my bedroom. "Soo…"

"No!" I stopped him before he could say anything. I especially didn't want him up there.

He just chuckled. "I wasn't going to say anything. I just wanted to know if your sleeping quarters were up there."

"Yes, they are, but you're not allowed to go up there."

"Oh come now, Lizzie. You really don't think of me as that kind of person, do you?"

Was that a trick question? It was Reaver for Avo's sake!

I didn't respond as I put my hands on my hips. "What are you **_really_** doing here, Reaver?"

He set his walking stick down on the small dining table before he walked towards me with his hands behind his back. "Okay straight to business, I like that. Well…my first intention was to try and convince you to let me entertain you in the bedroom…"

That earned him a death glare and my fists clenching.

"But then I thought of something else fun to do."

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "Fun? Like killing innocent people? Or torturing your staff?"

"Oh I can do that on my own time." He said casually, brushing a little bit of dust off of a nearby shelf. "No, actually I had an idea that can benefit you and a few other people."

"If you're suggesting that I should come to one of your…'parties'…then forget it." I growled, cringing at the thought of my presence being at one of them.

He laughed again. "It's amusing to hear your theories about me. You claim to hate me, yet you know so much about me."

I avoided his eyes, embarrassed about that fact.

"Nevertheless, I have a proposition for you."

My eyes met his again. "What is it?" Dare I ask him.

His smirk grew wider. "Have you noticed the relationship between the Queen and Major Finn?"

Of course I knew who he was talking about. Emma and Ben Finn.

Walter had introduced us to Captain Ben Finn and Major Swift when we visited Fort Morningwood during our recruiting for the revolution. They welcomed us to the military and got right to work with training us. I picked up on things really quick and was able to help them fight off the Hollow Men legion. After that, they joined our rebellion and fought along with us.

Then Logan managed to capture Major Swift and murdered him in front of everyone at the castle. Ben was hit the hardest after that. He lost his mentor and his father figure, but Emma and I were right there for him. We hated to see him suffer like that.

After that, Emma and Ben became very close. _**Extremely**_ close.

Every time I would see them, they would smile at each other or they would start to laugh for no reason. Not to mention the occasional blushing.

"Depends on what you mean by relationship." I told him, tilting my head to the side.

"Oh come now, you must have noticed the way that they gaze at each other. That longing feeling."

I snorted. "How would you know what that looks like?"

"Why my fans give me that look all the time." He responded, adjusting his fancy coat on his shoulders.

Ugh…I shouldn't have asked.

"Anyways, I thought we could go to the castle and…create a plan together."

"What kind of plan? And what does it have to do with Ben and Emma?"

"Well...I feel that the Queen needs something to liven up her mood lately. And the best way to doing that is to help her win the hero who has charmed her."

My face twisted in confusion. "What?"

Reaver shook his head at me. "Honestly, don't you understand a word that I've said."

"It's kind of hard to listen to you when you're saying a lot of things that don't sound like...you..."

He sighed before continuing on. "Fine, I'll just get to the juicy part. I would like you to accompany me to Bowerstone so we can bring your dear friends together."

I stood there for awhile, trying to process everything he just said. "What?" I asked, hoping that he would explain it again so I could hear his explanation correctly.

"Would you be interested in bringing your closest friends together with my help?"

Yep, I heard him right.

I crossed my arms as I stared at him in disbelief. "You are asking me…to go with you to Bowerstone and try to come up with some crazy scheme to bring Ben and Emma together?"

"Well when you put it that way, I guess so. Although it wouldn't really be 'crazy', especially since I would be coming up with the plan."

There was quiet pause before I finally found to words to speak up. "Have you lost your mind, Reaver?" I asked him seriously.

"Not lately. My mind is perfectly in tact."

His mind was ** _never_ ** in tact.

I shook my head before I met his eyes. "Why for the love of Avo, do you want to do that?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Can't I just do something nice for the Queen?"

I raised my eyebrows at him. "You? Do something nice? You are **_never_** nice, unless you're sucking up to someone just to get something in return."

Reaver tutted at me once again. I was really getting tired of that. "Again, do you really see me as that kind of person?"

"Um…yeah, I do." I responded with an eye roll. "You did that when Logan was still King."

"Nevertheless, I only wish to do something nice for the Queen with nothing in return."

I stared back at him.

"What? Don't you believe me?"

"Not really." I told him without hesitation. "There has got to be some catch."

"No catch." he responded quickly.

I still didn't believe him.

"And why do you want **_my_** help?"

He placed his hands behind his back as he slowly walked closer to me. "Well first of all, the Queen and you are very close and that really helps out with our soon to be plan. Also, you seem to know some things about Major Finn as well."

"Any other reason why?"

He smirked at me. "Well I thought it would be some excellent bonding time for us."

I scoffed at him. "Oh yeah, **_'bonding time'_**."

"Oh come on now Lizzie, must you act so difficult?"

" ** _I'm being difficult_**?" I questioned. "You're asking me to come with you to Bowerstone and plot something that may end in disaster. Forget it, I'm not helping you." I told him before turned away from him.

There was a small silence before he spoke up. "What if I were to make a deal with you?"

"I don't make deals, especially with you." I snapped at him, not even thinking about a deal with the devil.

"But what if this deal benefits you?"

"Don't care."

"But it may be a very good deal."

"If it involves anything sexual, forget it."

He just laughed. "You always assume the worst of me, Lizzie."

If he continued to act like this, then I definitely would shoot him.

When I didn't respond to his taunt, he sighed. "If you do this favor for me and we succeed, then...I will leave you alone."

That caught my attention.

I glanced over my shoulder to see a serious expression across his face. "How long? For a week? A month?"

"Forever."

Everything went silent.

Was he being serious? Reaver would leave me alone **_forever_**? He wouldn't spy or tease me anymore? It had to be a joke.

However, judging by his serious expression, something told me that it was the truth. There wasn't a hint of sarcasm or joking.

"You would leave me alone, **_indefinitely_**?"

He nodded once.

"No more stalking, teasing, aggravating, or flirting with me?"

"Well I wouldn't call it ' ** _stalking_** '."

"Reaver."

He sighed heavily. "No. I would leave you alone to your…quaint…life here in Brightwall and you would never have to see my glorious face ever again."

Reaver was offering to leave me alone permanently. Was this true? It had to be too good to be true.

"There would be no catch. As soon as we succeed in bringing the Queen and her Major together, I will walk away and you'll never have to see me again, unless…

"Unless what?" I asked, turning my body around to face him.

"Unless, you want me to come back."

I laughed to myself. 'I doubt that would happen.'

"So what do you say?" he asked me.

I straightened myself up before I spoke. "So let me get this straight, you want me to play matchmaker with you to bring Emma and Ben together, and in return, you'll leave me alone...forever." I asked, trying to figure out everything.

"Unless you wish for me to come back into your life." he purred with a wide smirk.

I held back my comeback and thought over what he offered.

He held out his hand to me. "Well? Do we have a deal?"

I stared at his hand before I gazed up into those eyes. Those eyes that looked ancient. Those eyes that saw a dozen deaths, most of them by his hand. Could I trust his word? Would he really leave me alone?

Why was I asking myself this? If this meant that he would get out of my life, then I should be shaking that gloved hand, selling my soul to the devil himself.

Before I could think about it any longer, I grabbed his hand and shook it tightly, not wanting to seem weak. "Deal."

He shot that evil smirk at me. "Excellent!"

I hope I wouldn't regret this.

He squeezed my hand one last time before letting go. "Now, we must leave now to get a head start on our journey to Bowerstone."

It would take about a day to get from Brightwall to Bowerstone. Maybe an extra day if we stopped for a rest.

But being able to travel with Emma before she became the Queen was very beneficial. I knew all of the shortcuts through the caves and sewers. So if we traveled through them, maybe we cut off some time.

"Alright, but let me pack some stuff." I told him as I went to the kitchen to grab some food to take.

"You might want to pack some extra clothes too. We might be there for awhile."

"How long do you think we'll be there?" I questioned, rummaging through the cabinets.

Not that I didn't want to see Emma or anything like that. In fact, it had been a few months since I had seen her last. But the less time I had to spend with Reaver, the better.

"Oh…I should say a week, maybe longer." He was still smirking as he stared at me. "You know what they say, 'love takes time'. But in my case, it only takes a few minutes to an hour. Half an hour to charm them into my bed."

I rolled my eyes. I was in for a very…very…long week.

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 **What do you think is going to happen next for them? Do you think they'll be able to do this? Or do you think she'll kill him before they even get to Bowerstone? lol That's all for now, but the next chapter should come out soon! I hope that you guys enjoyed this! Please review or shoot me a message! Thanks guys!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! I'm back! Hope I didn't make you guys wait too long! Trying to write new chapters while going to school for my senior year in college. It takes a lot out of me. lol anyways, I hope you enjoyed the last chapter and I hope that you'll like this one even more! I'm having a lot of fun writing this and I hope that you like this story!**

 **Please review and message me about what you think! I like hearing what my readers think of my work and I want to hear if you have any suggestions for me as well. Enjoy the new chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fable, if I did then Ben Finn and Reaver would have been people that you could marry in the game lol I only own Eliza.**

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 **Review Responses: Thanks for the reviews! Keep them coming lol**

 **faultsinthetardis:** Thanks! I'm glad you like it! Ohhh...thinking ahead, I like that! lol We'll have to see if you were right.

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After about an hour passed, we stood outside of my house, ready to go.

"Shall we?" he said, offering his arm to me, which I ignored and walked ahead of him.

If he was making me do this, the least he could do was to stop flirting with me throughout our journey.

I heard him sigh and follow behind me. His walking stick hitting every rock we passed over.

"So we'll have to take the monorail tunnel to get to Mourningwood. Do you have enough bullets?"

"Oh my dear Lizzie. You should know that I have a very large supply of bullets with me at all times. After all, I am the best sharpshooter in all of Albion."

"I'm aware."

"So if you need me to save you again from a pack of balverines, I'll be ready for it."

I shivered as we entered the snowy mountain territory of Mistpeak. "I think I'll be fine this time."

The cold didn't seem to bother him as he came up beside me, walking with a strut in his step. "But just to be on the safe side, I'll be right next to you to play the **_daring hero_**."

I tried to ignore his comments as we made our way down the mountain.

"And then when I save your life again, you'll be so generous to thank your hero by giving me a kiss. And probably something more…" he purred at the end.

Suddenly I reached into my boot and pulled out a concealed dagger and held the tip at his throat. "If I hear one more flirtatious comment about me, I'll cut your throat and leave you for the wolves."

Just like before, there was no fear in his eyes and he laughed. "There you go again with that violent behavior. It's not really your suitable behavior, Darling. Besides, I don't think you want to break our deal. Because if you do, I'll come back to your house for a visit, twice as often as I do already."

This made my stomach drop. He was right. I didn't want to break our deal.

Growling under my breath, I pulled the blade back and slid it back into my boot before walking away from him. I could hear him chuckling behind me.

Only several more days of hearing that laughter and then I'll never have to hear it again.

Suddenly a thought popped in my head. He said if we succeed in bringing Emma and Ben together. **_Succeed!_** What would happen if we failed? He would stick around and he wouldn't leave me alone!

Oh Avo, I hope we could pull through with this.

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After a very long and difficult journey through the various tunnels and sewers, we finally arrived in Bowerstone. It only took us a few hours to get through the monorail tunnel since both of us were excellent shooters and shot down every hobbe that threatened us. Then we made it to Mourningwood and took a break to gather more ammo.

Things were going pretty well for starters, but when I suggested a shortcut through the sewers, Reaver began to complain. He didn't want to ruin his new leather boots with the sewer water that remained in the tunnels. And naturally, Reaver began to complain about the new sewage system that Emma installed and how she ignored his wishes to empty the sewage into the town of Mourningwood. In the end, we trudged through the soupy muck.

Once we made it out of the sewers and into Bowerstone Industrial, we could finally breathe the semi-clean air.

"I'm never doing that again." Reaver grumbled as he tried to clean off his boots with a clean handkerchief that he pulled out of his coat.

"Well we won't have to go since you'll be going back to Millfields alone. You can walk back through the hills and I'll take the sewer tunnels." I told him, scraping the muck off on the cobblestone path.

He scoffed at me. "I'd rather take a carriage back."

"Then go ahead. I won't stop you." I responded as I started walking away.

Reaver caught up to me, brushing off his coat so he looked good for his workers that passed us. "Must you always run away from me? We're supposed to be a team in this."

"I'm not running away. I just want to get to the castle before nighttime. The faster we get there, the better."

"Are you just wanting to get this over with?"

I didn't respond.

"Well I just find that a bit rude. After all, you're doing this for your best friend. Rushing her into love."

"I'm not rushing her. I just want to get through this without killing you." I said with a smile as I nodded my head to a villager.

Reaver just sighed. "But what will that accomplish? You can't kill me."

"And how do you know that?"

"You don't seem like a cold blooded killer." He said as I dropped a coin into a poor man's cup.

"I've killed before, Reaver." I told him seriously when we were out of earshot of any villagers. "I'm not proud of it, but I have."

"Yes, but they were crooks, thieves, hobbes, balvarines, and Hollow men. You never killed an innocent person."

"You're right, I haven't."

"So you couldn't kill me."

I stopped in the middle of a dark alley and whirled around to face him. "You're not innocent, Reaver. You've done horrible things. **_Terrible things_**. Things that not even Logan has ever dared to do."

He took a step towards me. "And what kinds of things have I done?"

I looked him dead in the eyes. "You kill for sport. You don't care who it is or what they've done, all you care about is putting a bullet between their eyes."

He didn't say anything.

"The reason I don't like being around you is because all I see standing next to me is a heartless man who cares about nobody, but himself."

There was a silence now. The only thing that could be heard was the sounds of Reaver Industries and the talking of some people who were in the center of town. Reaver just stared me down emotionless.

There were a few possibilities of what he could do to me.

One, he could kill me. He had every right to shoot me. _**Nobody defied him**_.

Two, he could call the whole thing off and walk away.

Or three, he could tell me off…and then shoot me.

But instead, Reaver just burst out laughing. "Oh dear, Lizzie. If that would have been anyone else, I would've just shot them and left them in the street."

With that, he continued walking towards Bowerstone Market.

I stood there, flabbergasted by his response.

Then he turned around to see me still standing there. "Well? Are you coming? Don't want to keep the Queen waiting."

After a few moments, I shook myself out of my confused daze and followed after him.

What a strange man.

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As we neared Bowerstone Market, out of instinct, I pulled the hood on my vest over my head and followed Reaver through the busy town.

"May I ask why you are doing that?" he asked, noticing my new attire.

"Doing what?" I responded, keeping my head down.

"Wearing a hood. This isn't Mistpeak. It's very hot out."

"I just…felt like wearing it." I lied, pulling my hood closer to my face when I saw someone trying to look at me. I couldn't let anyone see who I was.

"Oh Lizzie, you're an even worse liar than myself. There has to be some reason why."

"Nope, nothing." I responded quickly.

"Are you embarrassed to be walking with me?"

To be honest, I was kind of embarrassed. I mean, it was Reaver. The man who stole most of the citizens' money with his taxes. He was also the man who flirted and slept with a lot of villagers as well. If people saw me with him, they would probably assume that I was his latest conquest. Not that I cared what most people thought.

No, there was a bigger reason why I was hiding.

"No, it's not that. I can deal with a few disappointing glances."

"Then why are you hiding?"

"It's none of your business." I snapped.

"Well…excuse me."

He didn't need to know the reason why. He wouldn't understand. He just wouldn't.

"So what do you think the Queen will say when she sees her best friend with the man whom she hates?" he asked, changing the subject.

I shrugged. "She'll probably think that she's losing her mind."

Reaver chuckled. "I'm sure she'll understand."

"Understand what? We can't tell her what we're doing. It would ruin everything."

"Of course we're not telling her. Why would you think that?"

For probably the hundredth time that day, I rolled my eyes.

"We'll just say that you were going for a visit and we bumped into each other along the way." he suggested, winking at a woman who stood outside of The Cock in the Crown. She blushed and gave him a tiny wave.

"And what's your excuse for being there?" I grumbled, rolling my eyes as I watched the woman nearly faint from seeing him.

"Well I have been 'acquaintances' with the royal family for a number of years."

"More like suck up." I muttered under my breath.

"What was that? I didn't quite hear you."

"I just said…that's it?" I lied.

"What do you mean _**'that's it'**_?"

Thinking quickly, I made up a reason. "You're not there to negotiate a raise on taxes or a proposal to tear down Silverpines Village or the caravans in Driftwood?"

"Just because I've suggested demolition proposals, doesn't mean that I want to tear down all of Albion." Then he paused. "Then again…there is vital mining areas on some of the islands in Driftwood."

I groaned to myself, regretting what I said.

Reaver chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't say anything…yet."

* * *

When we arrived at the castle, a few palace guards greeted us.

"Why if it isn't Miss Eliza." an older man's voice sounded at the top of the stairs.

I pulled my hood off and smiled at the man in fancy servant clothes. "Jasper!" I shouted as I nearly ran up the stairs to greet him.

"My my, it's been quite a long time since you've visited. How are you?"

"I'm fine, you know, hunting, shooting, and reading."

He shook his head. "Must you always hunt? It's not proper for a young lady."

I laughed at him. "Jasper, have I ever acted like a lady?"

"Not really in the past few years." He responded. "It's good to have you here." Then he glanced over my shoulder to see Reaver slowly climbing the stairs. "Ahh…and Master Reaver is here…" He didn't sound all that enthused.

"Oh don't get all excited to see me, Jeffery." Reaver shot back at him.

"It's Jasper." He corrected the entrepreneur.

"I couldn't care to know what your name is." He said, examining the castle as if he wasn't listening.

I shook my head in dismay and looked at Jasper. "Is Emma here?"

"Oh of course. She's in the throne room tending to a few villager requests. Shall I announce your arrival?"

"That won't be necessary. I want to surprise her." I told him with a grin.

"Very well, you may go in." He said, letting me past.

But as Reaver went to follow, Jasper stood in his way. "And may I ask why **_you're_** here?"

"I'm here with her."

This made me cringe slightly. He was supposed to say something else. Looks like someone wasn't listening to the plan.

"I beg your pardon. You've come here with Miss Eliza?"

"Yes, I have. We're here to ask the Queen for her blessing."

My eyes widened as my head whirled around.

"Blessing? For what?" Jasper questioned, tilting his head to the side.

"Why for our engagement, of course."

"What?!" Jasper and I exclaimed.

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 **Oh boy...were't expecting that, were you? lol Well it's Reaver being...Reaver XD being mischievous as usual. Guess you'll have to wait until next time to see what happens lol I hope you guys liked the new chapter! Please review or message me about what you think or if you have any suggestions for me. Thanks guys! I'll try and update soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait. School is getting really intense right now. I've got assignments out the wazoo and next semester is going to get worse. It's my final semester and I'm in the field, doing lots of assignments. Just warning you ahead of time. I'm gonna try to post one more chapter this Christmas season before I have to go back, but no promises. If I don't post for awhile, don't worry, I'm not abandoning this story, just spending a lot of time doing stuff for school.**

 **Okay, now that that's settled. I want to say thank you to all of you who reviewed and favorited/followed me! I'm glad you guys like this story! I'm having so much fun writing this story and I can't wait to write what's going to happen next! Don't be afraid to review or message me! I really like hearing what you guys have to say about this story! I wanted to get this chapter out on my birthday a few weeks ago, but homework got in the way. Sigh...but oh well, it's out now! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

 **I don't own Fable, if I did then Benn Finn and Reaver would have been people you could have married in the game lol only own Eliza**

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 **Thanks to my lovely reviewers! I really appreciate hearing what you had to say!**

 **whyamIupsolate- ** It's coming along, Sweetie XD Slowly, but I'm working on it! Glad you like it! Just think about Loki and all of his hilarious quotes, like TAAAA-DAAA! haha

 **Starfire Tamaran-** hahaha oh yeah, I love a good twist! Of course he does XD That's just how he is, a thorn in everyone's side. lol it's gonna get more interesting, and of course hilarious!

 **DaGangstar074-** haha thanks! Oh yeah, there's gonna be fun in this! Exactly! I love hitting people with a plot twist XD I'm glad you love it.

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Reaver laughed at our shocked expressions. "Oh dear, it seems that my lovely fiance has forgotten that we're getting married."

Jasper turned to me. "Are you engaged to Master Reaver?"

I could barely even answer. We were engaged?! That was definitely not part of the plan! What was he doing?!

"Miss Eliza?" Jasper asked me worriedly.

I snapped out of my daze and met his eyes. "What?"

"Is this true? Are you and Reaver engaged?"

Reaver just stood off to the side, a smirk upon his lips.

I didn't want to say yes, but we had to keep this secret plan between the two of us.

"I…I…uh…" I mumbled, trying to find the right words.

"Go ahead, My Dear." Reaver purred. "Don't need to act so shy about us. People are bound to find out about our affair sooner or later."

A shiver ran down my spine. That sounded sooo…horrible.

Swallowing the lump in my throat and trying to ignore how disgusting this phrase was going to sound. "Y-yes…Reaver…and I are engaged…" I struggled to tell Jasper.

Jasper looked flabbergasted and about to faint.

Reaver, however, continued to smirk evilly at me. As if he was excited to watch me suffer.

"Now that you know, may we go see the Queen?" Reaver asked Jasper, who was opening and closing his mouth like a fish.

"I…I suppose…yes…you may go in." He stuttered, looking between Reaver and I.

Reaver came to me and put his hand on my back. "Come, My Dear. Let's go see the Queen and tell her our glorious news."

Unable to respond, I reluctantly followed him into the castle, leaving Jasper there still in shock.

As we walked inside, a few servants spotted us and stared at us with widened eyes and gasped.

But my attention was too focused on what had just transpired. Reaver and I were engaged?! That wasn't part of the plan! What was he doing?!

"Just smile and strut, Darling." Reaver told me, breaking me away from my panicked state.

"You…we…we're…engaged?" I managed to tell him as we walked up the grand stairs.

"Why yes, we are. Aren't you thrilled?" he asked me, acting as if nothing had happened.

When we made it to the top of the stairs, Reaver turned me around to face him. "Look, if we're going to play off the happy couple, you're going to have to straighten up and stop looking like Hollowman. Pale as a ghost and mouth hanging open as if your jaw was broken."

Finding the will to stop looking so shocked, I glared up at him. "I am not a Hollowman!" I snapped at him.

"Oh she finally speaks." He sneered.

"Oh I'm about to do a lot more than speak you moron!" I yelled, clenching my fists.

"Well do that later, right now, we have an appointment with the Queen." He told me, grabbing my arm and turning me around when a servant came to us.

"Her Majesty will see you now." The manservant informed us.

"Splendid!" Reaver rejoiced, placing his hand at the small of my back, making me cringe. "We can't wait to see her!"

The servant nodded to us and opened the door, not seeing the darkened glare that I shot at Reaver, smacking his hand away from me and stepping away from him.

As we walked into the throne room, we could see Emma talking to a man wearing farming clothing.

"I will see to it that your house will be fixed." She said calmly to the man.

The man bowed to her. "Thank you, your Majesty."

"The guard will see you out."

The man was escorted out, leaving Emma alone on the throne.

Suddenly, our eyes met and a large grin broke across her face. The anger in my body seemed to disparate as soon as I saw her. Not caring if she looked strange, Emma nearly leapt off of the throne and ran to meet her halfway with a hug.

"Eliza!" she exclaimed, hugging me against her body. "What are you doing here?!"

I giggled, pulling away to look at her. "I came to see you of course!"

She giggled as well, adjusting the crown on her head. "It's been so long."

"Three months isn't too long." I joked. "Felt like a few weeks."

She shook her head and sighed. "I'm so glad to see you. I was just thinking about coming to see you in Brightwall."

I smiled. "I think the citizens over there would have loved to see you."

Before she could say anything to me, that nauseating honeyed voice interrupted. "Ah your Majesty! Aren't you looking very lovely today?"

I saw her cringe at the sound of his voice and closed her eyes. "Please don't tell me that Reaver's here." She whispered.

I groaned softly. "He is."

She sighed and opened her eyes before looking over my shoulder to see Reaver standing there. "Reaver."

He strolled over to us, trying to look elegant with that fancy walking stick of his. "How is my favorite Royal doing?"

"I'm fine." She told him. "You just saw me a few days ago."

"Oh, that's right. And have you given it any more thought to turning the village of Mistpeak into a logging camp?"

This made my eyebrows rise halfway up my forehead. He was doing what to Mistpeak?!

She straightened herself up before making her way over to him. "I'm still thinking about it, Reaver. And I would appreciate it if you didn't continue to pester me about it."

It was so strange to see her act so professional. It's amazing to see how far she had come. She needed to be like this to run a kingdom like Albion.

"Very well, your Majesty. I do hope that you'll consider doing it for the good of the people of Albion."

I glared at him.

"Is that all you needed today, Reaver?" Emma questioned.

Reaver stepped closer to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Well, I would ask for a room for me and my fiance. We wanted to spend the weekend at the castle so my dear Lizzie could visit her best friend and ask for our blessing."

I felt sick and I was on the verge of shooting him.

"Excuse me? What did you say?" she asked, completely confused over what he said.

"Oh, it seems that she forgot to mention our engagement. Why Lizzie here, is my fiance. We're going to be married."

Her eyes grew at Reaver's comment and looked at me in shock. "Is…is this true?"

I cringed before I spoke up. "Y-yes…"

Emma stood there, looking at the both of us in shock.

Suddenly, Jasper walked into the throne room and cleared his throat. "Um…your Majesty, there is a very eager citizen from Driftwood here to see you. It's very urgent. Something about hobbes invading one of the campsites."

She sighed heavily before answering. "I'll be there in a moment, Jasper. Thank you."

Jasper took his leave and left the room.

Emma took a deep breath. "You are welcome here, but I do request a walk around the garden with you." She said, looking right at me.

I had a lot of explaining to do.

"Thank you, your Majesty." Reaver thanked her.

She shot a dirty look at him. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some business to take care of. My servants can escort you to your rooms. I expect to see you in the garden."

I nodded to her before she left the throne room to attend to the villager.

As soon as she was gone, I pulled away from Reaver and punched him in the arm a few times. "What! Is! Wrong! With! You!" I shouted between punches.

"Me?! What about you hitting me?!" he exclaimed, trying to moved away from my punches.

"We're asking for her blessing because we're engaged?! That wasn't part of the plan!" I yelled at him, feeling my blood boil.

He brushed off his coat sleeve. "Well I didn't like that plan. Besides, I don't think she would have let me stay if I just said that I was here for a proposition."

"So you just thought an **_engagement_ ** would be better?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Well it was the first thing that came to mind."

I knew that was a lie.

"Also, I think it made things more interesting for us." He purred as he stepped closer to touch my cheek.

Immediately, I took a step back. "I'm supposed to be rid of you, not getting married to you."

He sighed, shaking his head. "So desperate to leave my side. It won't be permanent. We'll just act like lovers until we successfully bring the Queen and the Major together and then we'll break off our fake engagement."

I turned away from him with my arms crossed over my chest.

"Oh come now, it's not so bad. Most people would be excited about this."

"Well I'm not one of them." I told him, looking over my shoulder. "Besides, how is anybody going to believe that? You've never been engaged to anyone. You usually kick them out of your mansion before the morning comes. Or you just kill them."

He was silent for a moment before continuing. "Then I'll just say that you were different than my regulars."

"And you honestly think that we could pull this off?"

"Well I think we can…" he trailed off, looking at a few servants walking into the room before lowering his voice. "But we are not going to convince anyone that we're lovers if we don't start acting like them." He whispered before he moved closer towards me.

I hated it when he called us 'lovers'. We were far from that.

I frowned at him. "If you even think about kissing me, I'll-"

"I know, I know. You'll shoot me. I have heard you threaten me several times." He said, rolling my eyes. "It won't have to come to that. But if it does…I'll be waiting with bated breath." He purred huskily.

I tried to take a step back, but he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me against his chest. "Stop." I hissed at him.

"Put on a smile, Lizzie. You should be happy about this."

"You know I don't."

"Well better get used to it, cause it's show time." He whispered before he straightened up when Emma's servants came to us.

"We will show you to your rooms." the man servant told us.

"Excellent! Can we share a room? This one loves to curl up next to me." Reaver purred, pulling me closer, making me nearly gag on the smell of his special gunpowder.

"The Queen requested for separate rooms for the both of you." The young female maid squeaked.

Reaver didn't look amused. "Very well."

They led us out of the throne room and upstairs to our rooms.

Reaver's arm was still wrapped tightly around me. Oh how I wanted to kick him. I hoped that this week would go by fast. The last thing I wanted was to spend this whole time being pressed up against Reaver.

But I had to remind myself what I was doing this for. Even though I wanted Reaver out of my life, I was doing this for Emma's happiness.

After Elliot was murdered, it just seemed like her left was on a downward spiral. Things did get better as the revolution grew, but most of her happiness was crushed by the Darkness. Now since she was the Queen, she had the whole kingdom to protect. She focused more on the people verses herself; which was good, but she never did anything for herself.

That's why I thought Ben was the key to finding happiness for her. He supported her. Even though he was mad that she spared Logan, he still followed her. From the moment they met, I knew that there was a spark there.

It was about time they came together.

When we finally were shown our rooms, I mentally sighed, happy to be out of Reaver's grasp. However, he wouldn't let go.

"Thank you for showing us our rooms. We really…appreciate the Queen's hospitality." He said, faking a happy tone when he passed over the word 'appreciate'. He wasn't appreciative one bit.

I held back an eye-roll. 'What a liar.'

They both nodded to us and told us that they would be at our beck and call.

Reaver thanked them again and winked at the maid, who blushed at his gestured and scurried off after the manservant.

Then his gaze fell on me. "Well…now that we're alone…"

"Nope!" I cut him off before I tried to pull away from his arms. Sadly, he pulled me back to him.

"Oh, but why? I thought we could…explore my new room and perhaps…my bed." He purred mischievously.

"That's nice and all…but I have a meeting with a very old friend." I told him, managing to get away from him. "So, I have to go get ready."

"Oh, very well then." Reaver sighed. "Then I shall see you at dinner. And remember to keep our story the same."

"I thought the plan was to get Emma and Ben together, remember?" I reminded him.

"Yes yes, I remember." He said, waving his hand nonchalantly. "Just focus on our story."

I rolled my eyes before I turned around to go into my room. 'Imbecile.'

After some time alone had passed, I heard someone knock at my door. It was the maid, who informed me that Emma wanted to see me in the garden out back.

I left my room and followed the maid through the halls of the castle. A few of the servants greeted me. They knew who I was of course; the childhood friend of the Queen.

Soon we were near the garden and I dismissed the maid. She told me that dinner would be served later and she left.

Suddenly I felt something pounce on top of me, knocking me to the ground. As soon as I fell, I felt something wet hitting my face repeatedly.

"Hey! Hey! Cut it out!" I laughed out loud. When I looked up, I saw a furry face with black and white fur. "Bandit! You scoundrel!"

The excited dog barked at me before giving my face another lick.

"Okay okay! You win! Get off of me!"

Bandit barked at me one more time before he jumped off and ran towards Emma, who stood a few feet away from me. She welcomed him as he leapt into her arms, giving her dozens of kisses.

I got up and smiled as I watched her play with her dog, growling playfully. Then I made my way over to her. "Glad to see that he's still so happy."

She pushed her off of her. "Yeah, he's always this way. Come." She said, nodding her head towards the garden.

I followed and joined at her side as Bandit followed beside us.

I always loved the castle's garden. It was big and full of some of the most beautiful and exotic plants in all of Albion. It was one of the most beautiful things in all of Bowerstone. Various fountains and statues of the great rulers of Albion. And of course the tomb that held Emma's parents. The previous Queen, Sparrow, and her husband, Alex.

I really liked her parents when I was young. Sparrow was a magnificent Queen. So strong and caring towards her people. And of course powerful. She had the power of the great Heroes and could stop anyone who threatened to hurt the people of Albion. It was as if nothing could destroy her. Except for old age.

Alex had died first when Emma and Logan were just children. Someone had shot him when he was outside of the castle. An evil Mercenary, who was against the her ruling. Queen Sparrow destroyed the attacker, but it didn't help her broken heart. For the rest of Sparrow's life, she ruled Albion as best as she could, but her people could tell that she missed her love. She tried to be strong, but some could see that she was brokenhearted and empty without him.

She was able to rule for a few more years and then she passed away when Emma was about thirteen years old and Logan was around eighteen. It was a bittersweet day for everyone. The kingdom of Albion lost their great ruler, but she was reunited with her love, Alex.

Ever since Emma became the Queen, she was just as strong and caring as Sparrow was.

"Sooo…you mind telling me what that was all about?" she said, breaking the silence as we walked through the garden.

I looked away from her gaze and felt my cheeks heat up. "What? I don't know what you're talking about." I lied, but I knew what she meant.

"Eliza, I've known you since we were children. I can tell when you're lying. You've been doing it for awhile now."

I frowned at the sound of voice, knowing what she meant. "That…that's different." I mumbled under my breath.

"I want to know what is going on with Reaver." She told me, turning to me when we made it to her parents' mausoleum. "What is he doing with you?"

Unconsciously, I rubbed the back of my neck. "Well…I…"

She stared at me expectantly.

I didn't want to have to lie to Emma, but I didn't want her to be suspicious about anything. I had to be subtle about this.

"I…I'm with Reaver." The words on my tongue tasted like poison.

"How?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "How do you suddenly become the fiancee of one of Albion's most…despicable…men?"

I swallowed down the lump in my throat, trying to think of some kind of story. "Well…surprisingly…a lot can happen in three months." I started. "Reaver…would come by my house almost every week and we would talk for quite awhile. Then one day, something just…happened."

"Something…just…happened?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Yeah…it did."

"Well what was it?"

"Just…something…"

She gave me a skeptical look that said that she didn't believe me.

I sighed heavily. "Okay…the truth is…we're not really engaged. Reaver just said that because he wanted to shock everyone."

She looked taken back and sighed in relief. "Thank Avo for that. Then what is he doing here with you?"

I had to play up our fake relationship to keep our plot a secret, but there wasn't anything in the rules about changing the story a bit.

"Well…we…we are kind of together. But…it's not serious. It's just…a causal relationship…"

Her eyebrows drew together. "A casual relationship? What does that mean?"

"Just…he comes over to my house…we talk…have a little dinner…and then we go out for walks around Mistpeak."

There were so many lies in that statement. Reaver never knew where I lived. He would always go to Brightwall village, looking for me. He even came to the Academy to see me. We wouldn't talk, we would argue. And we never had dinner. He asked me out for dinner and drinks, but I never said yes. And we didn't take walks around Mistpeak, he would come to look for me in Mistpeak and would follow me until he gave up.

She blinked at me. "I am…completely speechless over this."

"I know…it's kind of hard to swallow, but I assure you, it's not serious."

She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well…I'm happy that it isn't serious. However, I'm not thrilled over this."

"I'm not asking you to, Emma. I just want you to try and be…civilized with him."

"Eliza, we're talking about Reaver here. It's going to be pretty difficult to keep myself from shooting him in the head. Then again, it's against my vows of being the Queen and he'll probably deflect any bullets that try to hit him."

"I'll try to shut him up if he tries to say anything stupid."

"Which is probably everything." She chuckled.

I laughed as well. Yep, that was definitely true.

Once we calmed down, we continued to walk through the garden.

"Sooo…how are things going on here?" I asked as we passed on of the elegant fountains.

"Extremely busy. I'm either tending to big requests that are being given by Reaver or Page or I'm helping out the citizens with small problems that arise. I hardly get to go traveling anymore. I miss it."

"Well maybe you could put your plans on hold and we could go hunting out in the woods like we used to." I suggested with a reassuring smile.

She smiled. "That would be really nice. But…I'm the Queen now. I have duties to perform. Especially with the Darkness closing in on us."

I frowned at the mention of this. I was there that day we met the Darkness. We escaped Albion and fled to Aurora on boat before our boat was destroyed and we washed up on the shores of this desert like place. Ben and I were separated from Emma and Walter and found them later, both unconscious out in the desert. Emma was injured, but only slightly, while Walter was nearly blind from the Crawler. Emma described the Crawler to me and even now, I shudder at the thought of that monster coming to destroy Albion.

"I know, that's why I've been working so hard on my hunting. I'm preparing for it all. I'll be right there on the front lines with all of you."

She managed a chuckle. "Ben's going to be happy about that. You're just as determined as he is."

I smiled at the mention of Ben. "Speaking of Ben, how is he?"

A smile appeared on her lips. "Oh you know, directing everyone in the military. He loves being a Major."

"Glad to hear. I bet Swift would have been proud of him."

"Yeah, he would." She sighed, probably thinking about Swift and how we all wished he was here.

"Sooo…has anything interesting going on between you, eh?" I asked mischievously.

She blushed a little, which was rare to see her do. "I don't know what you're talking about." She told me, turning away.

"Don't play coy with me, Emma." I told her. "I see how you behave around him."

She looked over her shoulder. "And how do I behave?"

I sighed, rolling my eyes at her. "Emma, you blush just about every time that you're in the same room together. You stare at him longingly when he's not looking at you, and I can hear the denial in your voice."

"Oh, you're just making all of that up." She huffed, looking away. "I don't think of Ben…that way."

I smirked at her hesitance. "Uh-huh, sure. And that's why you're avoiding my eyes. I saw that look in your eyes when you woke up in Aurora with Ben at your side. He never left your side for a second. I haven't seen you look at another man since Elliot…" I trailed off, thinking about her childhood sweetheart who was gone now.

She turned to me and sighed, brushing her hair behind her ears. "Well…maybe I do think Ben as…something else…"

This made my cross my arms in triumph. Well that was one part of the puzzle solved.

"But…I'm the Queen now and I have to fulfill my duties, taking care of the citizens, fixing problems, and above all things…protect them from the darkness."

I frowned at this. So Emma was never supposed to be happy? She deserved all the happiness in the world for what she had done!

"And you know I can't because it's wrong to be with someone who isn't of royal blood."

"Can't you just break the rules just this once? I mean look at your mother. She married a commoner instead of a prince. Surely, you could just break that rule."

She sighed again. "I suppose, but it's not that simple, Eliza." She told me before she looked off towards the town of Bowerstone. "Besides, I don't think Ben thinks of me like that. I'm not…that attractive compared to those women that he's been with."

I stared at her like she had grown another head. "What are you talking about? You're absolutely gorgeous Emma! Long silky brown hair, deep brown eyes, a very curvy figure! You've got it all! Ben's an idiot if he doesn't find you attractive!"

She blushed, closing her eyes. "Oh, you're just saying nonsense."

"It's not nonsense! It's the truth. Men were practically falling at your feet before you became the Queen. I mean it Emma, you're stunning. I'm sure Ben thinks that you're the most beautiful woman in all of Albion."

She smiled lightly and opened her eyes, turning back towards me. "You're such a dreamer, Eliza."

"So were you, and look where it's gotten you." I told her, reaching up to touch her crown.

She shook her head. "But I couldn't have achieved it if I didn't have all of the support from you and the rest of the gang."

"We'll always have your back Emma. Don't ever worry about that." I assured her.

"I'm glad to hear that." She told me before she knelled down to pet Bandit's soft fur.

I smiled softly at the sight. She was the perfect choice for Queen. Caring, helpful, modest, and the least heartless person in all of Albion. She cared for her people and would do just about anything to keep them safe. She even forgave her brother for all of the bad things that he had caused. She spared him when she could have killed him.

I admired her for that.

She stood back up and smiled at me. "Well, let's finish up our walk and then we can go to dinner."

I nodded to her and followed her around the garden with Bandit trailing behind us.

At least I knew how Emma felt about Ben. Now all I had to do was find out Ben's feeling for her. Problem was, how was I going to bring Ben here. And with Reaver as my sidekick in this. Oh Avo…I hope I can do this.

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 **That's all for now! lol Thought I should give you guys a long chapter for waiting so patiently for me! ;) What do you think about that? Lots of crazy stuff XD It's just gonna get better and funnier from here! I hoped you guys liked it!**

 **Please review or message me about what you thought of it! Or if you have some ideas for me! Please let me know! I really want to know what you guys think! Thanks everyone! I'm going to try to get the next chapter ready before I have to go back to school in January! Thanks again!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! I got the next chapter all done! I couldn't wait! I loved writing this chapter! lol Wanted to wish everyone a Merry (late) Christmas and whatever holidays you guys celebrate! I had to post this as a present to you guys! ;) I really hope you enjoy this new chapter!**

 **Again, just to remind you, I'm not going to be able to update for awhile due to my internship field work this semester. I've got a lot of work to do. I'll be back around April/May area! I'm really sorry, please don't be mad at me.**

 **Thanks to everyone who reviewed and favorited me!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fable. If I did, then Ben Finn and Reaver would have been people you could have married in the game lol only own Eliza.**

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 **Thanks to my reviewers for the last chapter!**

 _ **DaGangstar074-**_ Thanks Sweetie! I'm gonna keep going! Jolly good! XD

 ** _MissSutcliff-_ ** lol here's the next chapter for you. I'm guessing that you like this XD

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When we got back to the castle, Emma told me that she would see me later before she went off with the maids to get ready for dinner. Bandit gave me one last lick before bounding after her.

I went back up to my room and decided to walk alone. I didn't really need any servants to walk me back to my room. I mean, I practically lived in this castle as a child, so I knew every room and hiding place here.

I always liked being here with Emma. I grew up nearby and I would spend most of my childhood at the castle than my own home. I always loved walking into the castle, every servant greeting me as I walked down the halls, being able to play in the big garden with Emma, Logan, and Elliot when we were children. Those were the days I missed before Logan and the Darkness happened.

But, I had my own free life now. I had a nice house out in Brightwall and a good job at the Academy. And I was doing what I liked to do. Reading and hunting on my free will. Nobody to tell me what to do.

As I neared the corner of the hall, I could hear hushed voices talking.

"I-I can't." A meek female voice stuttered. "This is wrong."

"Why not? You know that you want to." A velvet voice answered. "I've seen the way you look at me."

"B-but what about your fiance?"

"Oh, it'll be our little secret. She won't mind at all."

"But…Mister Reaver!"

My eyes widened and my blood began to boil at the sound of Reaver's voice. Was he really doing this now?!

"Shh…my pet, don't worry. It's just a little kiss. And maybe we'll see where it takes us. Hopefully right to my room."

Before they could say another word, I quickly turned the corner, revealing myself to them. Reaver had my maid pressed against the wall, leaning his head down so his lips were merely a few centimeters away.

I cleared my throat before they could kiss.

The maid's eyes widened and her face turned white as a ghost at the sight of me. "M-Mistress Eliza!"

"Shouldn't you be getting things ready for dinner?" I asked her, putting my hands on my hips.

"Y-yes!" she stuttered before breaking away from Reaver and scurried off.

"Wait!" Reaver called to her. "Don't go!"

Since we were alone now, I folded my arms across my chest and glared at him. "Excuse me! What do you think you're doing?!"

He met my gaze and frowned. "Oh, look what you did. I almost had her!"

"Um…aren't we supposed to be _**'lovers'**_ , as you put it?" I asked, making quotation marks with my fingers.

"Well I can play a little, can't I? I mean, it's who I am."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have made up this who facade about us being lovers and that we're engaged. You can barely control yourself." I snapped at him.

"Oh come now, Lizzie. You need to just relax."

" ** _Relax_**? **_Relax_**?! I'm 'engaged' to you and I'm just supposed to **_relax_**?!"

He sighed in frustration, rolling his eyes at me. "You worry too much."

I was fuming to the point where smoke was probably coming out of my ears. I wanted to scream at him. Curse every word in the book at him, but I had to be careful of the wandering eyes and ears of the various servants in the castle. People did talk around here.

Instead of yelling, I turned away from him and stomped off to my room. Reaver was right on my heels and followed me inside.

"You do realize that you're making a complete fool out of yourself." He told me, shutting the door behind himself.

I tried to take a few deep breaths to control my anger. "Reaver, could you please stop talking for a few moments?"

He leaned against the wall with his arms across his chest. His hat tilting forward slightly. "Very well. Go ahead. Yell and threaten me. Do what you usually do."

I took a deep breath before speaking. "I'm not going to threaten you, this time."

Reaver let out a sarcastic chuckle.

Ignoring that, I went on. "Look, we are here to bring Emma and Ben together. That's it. But now, everyone thinks that we're engaged to be married. This is going to make things _**so much**_ harder."

"Hmm…you make it sound like it's a bad thing."

I frowned at him before I turned around to search through my bag for a brush. "Being near you is a bad thing." I mumbled under my breath.

"You're going to have to speak up. Can't hear you, Darling. Especially when you're insulting me." he sang in that irritating honeyed voice.

I rolled my eyes again. "Anyways, we have to have to keep this facade up until we reach our goal. And that means, **_no_** flirting."

He sighed heavily. "Well, it's just who I am. Besides, I can't flirt with you or else you'll threaten to kill me. I have to say something to someone. I have needs to fill. And you could fill those needs if you just gave in to your inner desires." He said, moving closer to me.

I found my brush and pulled it to begin brushing the knots out. "Yeah right, I have unspeakable desires to be with you, Reaver." I responded sarcastically.

"Oh my dear Lizzie, you'll come to a realization one day when you realize that you need me and you can't survive without me." He purred in my ear, making me turn my head so we were staring into each other's eyes.

His eyes were dark. Very dark, as if he was hiding thousands of secrets behind them.

I just stared back, unaffected by his words. "Nope. Don't have to admit to anything. I don't need anyone to survive. As I've told you before, I can take care of myself."

He leaned away from me, shaking his head. "So stubborn." He told me.

I ignored his comment and started brushing out the knots and tangles in my hair.

"So how do we start working on our plan?" he asked.

"Well…I talked to Emma earlier and she's hinted at having feelings for Ben, but she won't completely admit to it. First things first, we need to find Ben and bring him here or something."

"Taken care of." He informed me almost immediately. "That frantic citizen that was here earlier, needs help destroying the hobbes that are invading their little village in Driftwood. The Queen is taking care of it tomorrow and has requested for Major Finn to come and help her out."

I raised my eyebrows at him. "And how do you know this?" I inquired.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Oh you know, I have my ways of investigating."

"Please don't tell me you threatened anyone." I groaned.

"Oh no, it never came to that. That maid that I was talking to before ** _you_** interrupted told me this when I asked about Major Finn. Must you always think of me as that kind of person? I'm not always that threatening."

I clenched my jaw. "You always threaten when you need something or you're mad at them."

"Oh I never get mad, I just merely get annoyed with the people around me. Lousy peasants."

"Anyways, let's get back to what's important." I tried to remind him, continuing with my hair brushing.

"Right then. So the Major will be here shortly so he can assist her in battle tomorrow."

"And we'll be there too." I added.

His eyes widened as they met mine. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. We're going with them."

"I beg your pardon, I did not sign up to save a town being invaded by a horde of nasty hobbes."

"But we need to be there with them so we can see what happens to them."

He scoffed. "I'm not a babysitter. Besides, worst case scenario, one of them will end up dead. On the other hand, they'll probably end up in some kind of compromising position." He explained with a smirk.

I glared at him. "And if nothing happens, we're one step behind our plan. We need to be there."

"So what you're saying is, we need to give them a little push?"

"More or less…" I mumbled.

"So once again, we're trying to force them into love." He reminded me of our earlier conversation.

"I'm not forcing them into anything!" I snapped, nearly ripping out a chunk of my hair that was in knots. "Look, Emma likes Ben, I know it. But she's not going to do anything about it unless we help her. She'll never tell Ben because the kingdom is her number one priority. And we don't know how Ben truly feels about Emma."

There was a silence between us for a little bit before he finally let out a heavy sigh. "Very well. We'll offer to go with them into battle."

I sighed in relief to myself. At least he's complying.

When that was settled, Reaver adjusted his coat. "Now then, shall we go down for dinner? I will escort you."

I shook my head in response. "I can walk by myself."

He stepped closer towards me with his arm sticking out for me to take. "It isn't a choice, Lizzie. We have to keep our image, remember. We're lovers."

Every time he called us 'lovers', made me nearly gag.

I shot a dirty look at him before setting down my brush. "I swear, if you so much as touch me inappropriately, I'll shoot you and let the hobbes take you away." I threatened, taking his arm.

"You really need to work on those ladylike manners. Don't want to scare off any potential suitors."

I shrugged my shoulders. "If they can't accept that side of me, then they shouldn't be with me." I explained as we began walking through the many halls of the castle. "And shouldn't you be afraid of me?"

"I don't get scared that easily, Lizzie. I've dealt with much scarier people. If you recall, I had my own secret society of balvarines. Now that was a group of very scary people. Then again, I've been known as being a scary person. People fear my name."

"Well, I guess I don't have to worry about that. My name isn't well known." I responded to him as we made it to the main foyer.

"Mmm…I wouldn't say that. Maybe not your current alias, but your true name."

My head towards him slowly, staring at him in shock. "What?"

He just smirked as we came into the dining room filled with servants. They escorted us to our seats and sat us down next to each other. Great…now I had to deal with Reaver's antics all through dinner.

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 **Well that's it for now. Sorry it was kind of short. Does Eliza have a secret that Reaver knows? What do you think is going to happen at dinner? lol you can post your theories if you want. I enjoy reading everyone's theories on my stories! Hopefully, I'll be able to come up with the next chapter soon. But like I said, I'm gonna be doing field time this semester, so you might have to wait until late April or early May before I can update again. I'm really sorry guys, but this is my biggest semester ever! I'm sorry again! Please review or message me about this story! Thanks guys!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone! I surprised myself and wrote the next chapter for this story! Trust me, I wasn't planning on writing this until I had some free time, but I pushed my homework off to the side because inspiration hit me! So I was able to finish this next chapter and I'm so excited for you guys to read this! Again, if those of you forgot, I won't be able to write for a few months. I'll try to, but no promises. School is going to be picking up for me very soon and I'll be really busy (according to my teachers).**

 **Anyways, I really hope you guys enjoy this! Please review and message me! I want to know what you guys think of this story. If you have suggestions on this story or you just wanna talk. I love hearing from you guys. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fable. If I did, then Ben Finn and Reaver would have been people you could marry in the game lol**

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 **Review Responses: Thanks for the reviews guys! I loved reading them! :) Keep sending them in, I love hearing what you guys say about this.**

 **ReaversTrueFantasy-** Awww thank you sweetie! I was really worried that I wasn't going to be able to do it. Especially since I haven't written a character like him lol I won't abandon this! I promise! Thank you again! You are sooo sweet! :)

 **DaGangstar074-** I'll try to! lol she's not afraid to beat him up once in awhile. She won't take any of his crap XD

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We were alone at the table for awhile while the servants bustled around, trying to get everything ready.

As we waited for Emma, Reaver winked at a few servants, making me gag. Seriously? What made him so special?

I jabbed him in the side, trying to get him to pay attention.

After a few moments, one of the servants announced an arrival. "Now presenting, her Royal Highness, the Queen."

Emma came in, wearing a nice light purple dress and her crown perched on top of her head. Her long brown hair was up in a fancy bun. "Thank you, Matthew. That will be all. You don't have to announce me for every room that I walk into.

"Sorry, Your Majesty." He said before walking off to the kitchen.

"And stop apologizing." She laughed before making her way to the head of the table. A maid pulled out her chair and then she sat down. "Thank you, Mindy."

"You're welcome, Milady."

She smiled over at me as her maid left. "Glad to have you over for dinner."

She was right next to me, making me happy to be closer to my best friend.

"Yeah, I'm glad to be here. It's nice to actually have a meal with someone." I responded.

"I still think that you should have someone over sometime." She said, placing a napkin in her lap.

I scoffed at her. "Emma, you should know how I feel about that. I don't really like people."

"I know, I know. You've always been like that."

"Oh I know, Your Majesty." Reaver cut in. "That's why I'm going to bring out that lovely society girl that she's got trapped deep down inside of her."

I wanted to kick his foot under the table so badly, but I wanted to try and hold myself back. I didn't want to draw attention to our banter, especially since we were supposed to be…lovers. I still shuddered at the thought of that word.

"Well have fun trying, Reaver. Eliza is like a rock. She's hard to crack." Emma informed him.

"Well there's always throwing a rock off of a cliff. Take the easy way out."

Before Emma could respond, the servants came in with various trays of food.

My stomach began to ruble at the sight of it. This was a change from the usual things that I ate back in Brightwall, like celery and other vegetables. They were mainly a farming community and rarely got meat from Bowerstone. Most of the time I went fishing in Mistpeak to get my meat. They weren't my favorite kinds of things to eat, but they were better than nothing.

When Emma and I fled Bowerstone, we weren't able to dine on really exquisite and delectable foods. Most of the time we were eating legs of mutton or bowls of tasteless stews. We just ate whatever we could find until we got money to afford it. Didn't really plan to take anything with us when we ran away.

When the plates were on the table and we said Grace, we all began to eat.

"So…how are things with the Brightwall Academy?" Emma asked me, grabbing a few pieces of mutton from a plate.

"Well we've had quite an increase in visitors lately. Ever since you renovated the library, people have been flocking there ever since. They really like it."

She smiled. "I'm glad to hear that."

I could hear Reaver scoffing. Naturally.

I glanced over my shoulder at him. "What?"

He picked at a piece of lettuce with his fork. "Oh nothing. I was just thinking about those grimy commoners putting their hands on those precious and irreplaceable books."

I glared at him. Was he really complaining? Now of all times?

"Well I'm sorry you feel that way, Reaver, but I felt that it was necessary to allow everyone to have the right to learn." Emma informed him.

"And I agree with you completely, Your Majesty." He responded before muttering, "I just wish they weren't so filthy and stopped ruining the pages."

He noticed my gaze and kept his eyes on his dinner. He definitely knew that I was aggravated with him. Maybe he knew that I was going to scold him for this. It was inevitable that he would.

Emma brushed off his comment and continued to eat.

I cleared my throat, trying to clear the tense situation at the table.

"However, those darn Hollowmen keep sneaking upstairs from the Reliquary and terrorizing the public."

Emma's eyes widened. "They're still coming in. I would have thought that they would have gone away after we took care of them."

"Apparently not." I told her. "Nobody's been seriously hurt, but it's really becoming a nuisance. Of course I'm the official person who exterminates them, but no matter how many times I destroy them, they always find their way back."

She pursed her lips, thinking over it. "Hmm…we could destroy them together. And if that doesn't work, we will probably have to lock up the Reliquary…permanently."

"If I may interject." Reaver said politely, or at least I think he was trying to be polite. "There are a lot of valuable books down there. That's a real waste, leaving all of them down there."

"A couple thousand…" I mumbled.

"You see, my lovely fiance agrees with me."

Emma took a bite of mutton before straightening herself up. "Well, I suppose I could try and have a group bring up some of them. Then we can seal it off permanently."

I'd hate to see that happen, but we had to do something to save the public. What if someone wasn't there to protect them? It had to be done.

Before we could continue the conversation, Jasper walked into the room. "Eh-hem, Your Majesty, Major Finn has just arrived."

As soon as the news was announced, Emma's lips turned into a beaming grin. "Thank you, Jasper. You can send him in."

"Very well, Your Majesty. I shall send him in." He told her before leaving the room.

"Well well, Major Finn is here. How utterly delightful." Reaver responded with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

I smiled in triumph to myself. This was great! Ben was here! We were one step closer to our goal!

A few moments passed until the strapping young soldier walked in. "Good evening, Your Majesty." He greeted with a salute, standing at attention.

Emma's face lit up like a newly lit candle. "Ben…I mean, Major Finn." She said, standing up from the table.

He chuckled softly, running a hand through his messy blonde hair. "It's alright. How many times do I have to tell you to call me by my name? I mean, you called me that the whole time when we were fugitives."

"Sorry Ben, I keep forgetting." She giggled.

"It's no trouble, Your Majesty." He told her politely.

"And how many times do I have to remind you that you don't always have to call me that?"

"Sorry, Your Majesty…Emma!" he corrected himself quickly.

I giggled softly as I watched this exchange. I always enjoyed watching the two of them.

"Come and have a seat. We just started eating a little bit ago."

Ben nodded before he made his way over to the table. As soon as he saw me, he grinned. "Well look who finally decided to join the living."

"Shut up, Ben." I playfully scolded him. That was a phrase that everyone used around him. "And yes, I decided to come for a visit."

"Well, don't I get a hug?" he asked me, holding out his arms.

Shaking my head at him, I stood up from my seat and walked over to him to be enveloped by his strong and muscular arms.

"We've really missed you around here." He told me, hugging my body tightly.

"We?" I giggled. "Who's we?"

"Well…me, Page, Walter, Bandit, and of course Emma."

"Awww…you missed me, Ben" I cooed, tapping him lightly on the cheek.

He rolled his eyes at me with a grin. "Of course I miss my shooting companion."

This made me happy. "Well we have to go hunting sometime while I'm here."

"Great!"

"Oh how nice, you're going to go hunting." Reaver grumbled from his seat.

Ben frowned and I glanced over my shoulder to stare down Reaver.

"What is this bloody git doing here?" Ben growled.

Reaver gave him a sadistic smirk. "I'm her guest." He explained, pointing at me. "Well I should say honored guest since I'm here on a momentous occasion."

"Oh yeah? For what? Did you finally lose your company and all that money you stole? Did everyone finally quit working in your factories because they were sick of your rules?"

"Oh no, my dear boy. I still own everything in Albion. And what exactly do you own? That horrible pile of rubble that you call a fort?"

Ben growled under his breath and began moving closer to the table. "Why don't you go shove that sparkly cane up your-"

"Ben, that's enough." I cut him off, pressing my hands against his chest to stop him from jumping across the table.

He huffed and stopped pushing against me.

Reaver smirked at him, making me glare back at him. He always knew how to make someone infuriated.

"That's enough, Reaver." I snapped.

"Fine fine." He responded nonchalantly as he continued to eat.

Emma frowned at Reaver before turning her attention to Ben. "Would you like to join us Ben? There's plenty of food to go around."

He glanced at Reaver before meeting her eyes. "Sure, why not."

I nodded to him before making my way back over to my seat. Ben sat across from me and on the other side of Emma.

The soldier filled up his plate before looking over at me. "Sooo…Liz, how've you been? Haven't seen you since the debacle over the fate of Bower Lake."

That made Reaver roll his eyes.

I smiled at him. "Oh you know, been living in my new house in Brightwall."

"Brightwall, huh. Small town gets one of the best sharp shooters in all of Albion. At least we know that they're all safe over there." He laughed, stuffing his mouth with mashed potatoes.

"Oh I'm not that good." I giggled.

"Well, you're not as good as me, but you're pretty close." He said, pouring himself a glass of wine when he finished swallowing down the last spoonful of potatoes.

There he goes again. Bragging as usual.

"What about me?" Reaver interjected. "I'm one of the best too. Well I **_am_** the best sharpshooter."

Ben rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, I could probably shoot that ridiculous hat off of your head."

Reaver frowned at him. "And I could shoot you before you can even do that."

"You wanna bet?" Ben challenged him, reaching behind his back for his rifle while Reaver reached for his Dragonstomper.

Before either of them could even grab their weapon, Emma's hand hit the table, making silverware bounce and clang against the table. "That's enough! There's no shooting in here!"

Ben sheepishly put his hand back at his side while Reaver sighed heavily, dropping his hand.

Emma frowned at them. "This isn't a war zone and I would appreciate it if you didn't fire at anything in this room."

She sounded calm, but also serious. Scary serious. I could tell that she was infuriated. That was never a good thing. If anyone made her any angrier, then she wouldn't hesitate to throw a fireball at them. You didn't mess with the Queen and you **_never_** messed with a hero.

Both men looked down at their food and continued to eat in silence.

I smirked over at Emma and she matched my expression. She knew exactly how to hold everyone's attention when it came to threatening. Yep, she was definitely my best friend.

We all went back to eating our dinner for awhile before Ben spoke up hesitantly, scared that Emma would blast him with a fireball. "Um…so…what exactly is happening with that emergency you received?"

Emma set down her utensils and sat up in her chair. "Yes, well one of the villagers from Driftwood came by and informed me that the horde of hobbes returned to terrorize the village again."

"Oh no…no hobbes." Ben groaned. "I hate those little beasts. Always causing mayhem…."

"Unfortunately yes." Emma responded sadly. "The villagers are in desperate need for them to be eliminated."

Huh, I guess Reaver was correct about all of that.

"Ah, so you called in the best sharpshooter to take them out." Ben said, puffing out his chest a little.

This made Emma giggle a little. She always liked that funny attitude of his. "Well, you're not going in alone. I'm going with you. There's a lot of them to take down and I'm not letting you face them by yourself."

Ben sighed. "Alright, it'll be the two of us against them. What a team; the Hero Queen and the Major of the Albion Army."

I cleared my throat. "Um…can we join you?"

Ben and Emma looked over at me.

"You want to come with us?" Emma questioned.

Before Reaver could try and interject, I quickly cut him off. "Yes, we want to come with you. Besides, you can have two more sharpshooters on your team."

Emma pondered over it for a few moments.

"Come on Em, it'll be like old times. And we can finally get in that hunting time." I pleaded, giving her those eyes that Bandit gave her when he wanted a treat.

She stared at me with those deep brown eyes before she closed them and sighed. "Okay, you can come. There's no stopping you." She responded, opening them again.

I smiled in triumph. "Thank you!"

Ben stared at me in confusion. "Wait a second, you said 'we'. Who's we?"

"Why she's talking about me, Major Finn." Reaver purred, giving Ben a sadistic smirk.

Ben's eyes widened. "What?! Why would you be coming with us?"

"Well I want to be by my fiance's side at all times."

My heart dropped and his comment sent Ben into a whirlwind of confusion.

"I'm sorry, I thought you just said fiance."

Reaver snaked an arm around my shoulders, making me internally sick. "I did." He purred again before kissing my cheek.

As soon as his lips touched my skin, I felt shivers run through my whole body. Did he just…I couldn't even finish my thought process.

Ben looked flabbergasted while Emma looked bewildered and uncomfortable with Reaver's confession and action.

"You…you're engaged?" Ben stuttered.

"Isn't that what fiance means?" Reaver teased Ben's response.

Ben's eyes shifted from Reaver to me. Then he looked at Emma, who nodded her head sadly, as if telling him 'indeed, it's true'.

Ben's mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to find the words to speak. "How…how is this possible? You two…you can't be…"

"Oh, it's true. Tell him, Lizzie." Reaver said, nudging my arm.

Like Ben, I could barely respond.

Reaver chuckled. "Once again, my lovely fiance is speechless about the news."

I had to say something or it would ruin everything.

"It…it's true." I managed to say, but I felt a sickening feeling in my stomach.

The young soldier's eyes widened at this. "I…I can't…I can't even fathom the idea of Reaver having a fiance. But what makes it worse is seeing that it's you, Liz!" Ben exclaimed, making me shrink in my seat. "What the bloody heck were you thinking?"

"Ben!" Emma scolded. "That's enough."

"What?! Am I supposed to look over the fact that Liz is engaged to one of the most despicable men in all of Albion?!"

"Despicable? I'll have you know that I'm nowhere even near that word. Then again, I've been called much worse things." Reaver mocked him.

Emma glared at Reaver before looking at Ben. "If he's the man that Emma has chosen, then we can't really do much about it. It was her decision and that's final."

He glanced at Emma and then sat back down in his seat. He continued to scowl as he dug into his food.

I felt guilty for lying to him. He was one of my best friends and I was keeping this from him. Why me? Oh right, because I let Reaver dictate this whole idea!

I hoped that Ben wouldn't be mad at me for very long. I hated the fact that I had to lie like this. But in the end, it would be all good. Ben and Emma would get together and I would never have to speak to Reaver ever again.

We continued to eat in silence, none of us looking at each other. It felt…strange.

When Ben finished his dinner. "I guess I'll turn in for the night." He said, standing up from his seat.

Emma looked at him. "You're welcome to stay here for the night. We have plenty of rooms for you."

"Thank you, Emma, but I can get a place at the Cock and Crown."

"Nonsense, you don't have to stay there. It smells in there. Stay here. You don't have to pay to stay here."

Ben sighed. "Well, it does save me some money for the evening. Thanks, Emma."

"You don't have to thank me." She told him with a gentle smile. "I'll let the servants escort you to your room."

Ben nodded to her before glancing at me with a disappointed look before following the servants out of the room.

As soon as he was gone, Reaver stood up. "Thank you for the lovely dinner, Your Majesty. It was delightful." He purred, making me roll my eyes.

Sucking up once again.

I could see Emma trying to keep her composure. "Thank you, Reaver."

Reaver sighed. "What? That's it? Thank you? Not, it was a pleasure to have you here?"

She glared at him. "Don't push it, Reaver. You're already on thin ice with me right now."

He backed away from her, holding up his hands in defense, as if he was hoping that she wouldn't throw a fireball at him. "Fine fine, I'm finished speaking for the evening. Just wanted to let you ladies know that I'm turning in for the evening. So, I wish you both a wonderful evening." He told her before turning around to face me, shooting a wink at me.

I was still brooding over what he had done. Not only did he probably destroy my friendship with Ben, but he also kissed me! I told him that there was no kissing! It was on the cheek, but still! His lips shouldn't have anywhere near me!

As soon as he left the room, I heard Emma sigh. "I'm really sorry about that."

I turned in my chair to see her covering her face with her hand. "You don't have to be sorry for anything. It's mostly my fault. I shouldn't have let him come with me. I should have just told him to stay in his mansion." I apologized, looking down. "Ben won't forgive me for this…"

Emma lowered her hand. "Oh don't say that. Even though he's mad right now. I bet he'll come around sooner or later."

"How do you know that?" I asked her.

"Ben can't hold a grudge for very long."

"Except for your brother."

"Well…yes…but you didn't kill his father figure. What Logan did was much worse than what you did."

I slumped in my seat. "So what you're saying is, what I did is pretty bad."

"Technically no…well…you are seeing one of the most obnoxious people in all of Albion. An arrogant, careless, egotistical, murdering…"

"I get it." I interrupted. "Being with Reaver is bad."

"My point is, Ben will come around. He'll forgive you." She told me, reaching over to pat me on the shoulder. "You'll get through this."

I met her eyes again. "Thanks Emma. I didn't mean to cause you so much trouble."

"Don't say that. This wasn't so bad. I mean, I've dealt with much worse things. Trust me, you were there."

I giggled a little. "Yeah, very true."

She smiled at me. "Why don't you go sleep on it. I'll talk to Ben about it."

I nodded and stood up from my seat. "Thanks, Emma."

"Hey, what are best friends for?" she asked, standing up as well.

We bid our good nights and I made my way to my room.

Maybe she was right. Maybe Ben would forget about all of this and somehow forgive me. Maybe.

As for Reaver, I'm definitely not letting him get away with this! He ruined my friendship with Ben and he kissed me!

But I wouldn't let that get to me tonight, I needed to get some sleep. All that traveling and hunting today wore me out. And that nice plush bed was calling my name. For once, I wouldn't be sleeping in a tiny bed in a drafty room.

I sighed to myself as I opened the door. A nice warm bed with…

"Ahh…coming to bed, Pet? I've kept your spot nice and warm for you." Reaver purred as he lay on his side in my bed, facing me with the covers pulled up to his waist. His bare chest with tiny curls of hair covering it.

REAVER?!

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 **Oh boy...another shocker! XD I loved writing the ending! Idea came to me at the last moment! I hope you guys liked this new chapter! Please review or message me! I'm always there to talk! lol I hope you guys enjoyed this! I'll try to update as soon as I can...but as I said before, school is going to get more intense for me. I hope you guys can understand that. I'm so close to getting my degree! Thanks everyone!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone! I'm back! lol Semester is almost over! And I'm getting to graduate with my bachelor's degree! All that hard work paid off! Yaaaay! Also my anime convention is in about a month! I can't wait! Going as female Naruto, Rose Tyler from Doctor Who, and Claire from the Harvest Moon series! I'm also hoping to do a new cosplay this year! Was thinking between Lucy from Fairy Tail or the Fable 3 princess! But they require lots of work and I'm not sure I'll have them done in time, but I'll get some help from friends for the Fable one. Hoping to do at least one! lol**

 **Okay, now that that's over with XD I can finally write again! I've been working on this chapter for awhile and I'd have to say that I've really enjoyed working on this one. Lots of humor and a few moments where I had to work outside of my comfort zone, cause you know, it's Reaver lol I really hope that you guys enjoy this one! It's a good one if I say so myself haha**

 **Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and added me! I'm glad you guys like this story! Please review and let me know what you guys think of this story! Or if you're really bored and wanna talk, I'm always up for talking! :) I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fable. If I did, then Ben Finn and Reaver would have been people you could marry in the game lol**

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 **Review Responses: Thanks to everyone who reviewed for this past chapter! I really like hearing from you guys! You guys are so sweet! :) Please keep reviewing! I really appreciate them! Let me know what you think!**

 **cappuccinocat92:** Glad you liked it! :)

 **DaGangstar074:** Aww thanks sweetie! Of course I will!

 **ReaversTrueFantasy:** Aww you are so sweet! I'm really glad you like it! Thanks! I'm so close to getting it!

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My mouth dropped as I stared at the half naked man in my bed.

"Wha…how…did you…" I stuttered before yelling, "Get out!" I didn't care if I woke anyone up. I just wanted this man out of here, now.

"Oh come now, is that any way to talk to your future husband?" he teased, running a hand through his dark hair. It was the first time I had seen him without his hat and goggles.

I shut the door behind me and moved further into the room. "First, you are _**not**_ my husband. And second, what are you doing in my bed?!"

" _ **Your**_ bed? I think you mean ' _ **our**_ bed'." He purred, laying back against the pillows.

My eyebrows knit together in confusion. " _ **Our**_ bed? You have your own bed across the hall."

"Oh yes, that. Well, apparently, a pipe burst in my room. Sewage went everywhere." He explained, looking up at the canopy above my bed.

I raised an eyebrow. "A pipe burst? If it did, then why didn't I smell anything?"

He shrugged his bare shoulders. "Not sure, but I'm impressed by whoever did it."

"Okay, that's nice. Now get out." I told him, crossing my arms across my chest.

He gasped mockingly, pressing a hand to his chest. "You would throw your loving fiance out?" he said before giving me a wicked smirk. "Completely naked."

My stomach dropped. 'You've got to be kidding me!'

"Fine, get some clothes and get out! Take the sheets if you have to!"

I didn't care if I didn't have any sheets to sleep on. There was no way I was going to sleep on those sheets after they touched his body.

Reaver sighed heavily as he turned over, making me cover my eyes for the moment, trying to avoid seeing anything that I would regret seeing.

After a few seconds passed, Reaver spoke up. "You can open your eyes. I've got clothes on."

"How do I know that you're not lying to me?"

There was a pause.

"Well I could come over and let you touch me to see."

"No! No…I…I'll look."

Very slowly, I lowered my hand and cracked an eye open to see him sitting up in the bed with a pair of dark boxers on. "Am I really that hideous?"

To be honest, not at all. Reaver's body was well toned and definitely kept in shape and his face was almost perfectly sculpted like a statue. No, Reaver wasn't hideous. However, that attitude and behavior out weighted his looks.

"Yeah, you've got a face that's uglier than a hobbe's" I shot back at him.

He gave me a pouted lip. "Oh you don't mean that."

"I do. Now, as I said before, get out." I snapped, pointing to the door. "I'm already infuriated with you already for what you did at dinner."

"Ohhh…so that's why you're acting so sour towards me. You're just mad because I kissed your cheek, which was very soft by the way." He purred with a wink.

I shuddered at the memory. "There's that and you've pretty much destroyed my friendship with Ben."

"I destroyed it?" he asked innocently, touching his bare chest. "Whatever do you mean by that?"

"Oh don't give me that fake innocence, Reaver. You know exactly what you did." I told him, sitting down in a chair to take off my hiking boots. It didn't sound like he was going to be leaving anytime soon, so I might as well take off my boots. I've been wearing them the whole day and they probably smell terrible from the sewage water and mud.

He just scoffed. "All I did was tell him of our engagement. It's not like I told him that you decided to switch sides and fight against the army or something like that."

"That's almost as bad!" I exclaimed, pulling at the laces on my boots. "Ben absolutely **_hates_** you!"

That made Reaver chuckle. "Oh, he needs to just get in line. I already have hundreds of people that are my enemies. He's just another angry citizen with a vendetta against me." He sat down on the edge of the bed with his hands clasped between his spread legs. "And he's not that far away from you. I know you're right there in line with him."

I glared at him. "Ben is one of my best mates and you just told him that I'm engaged to you. Don't you understand how horrible that kind of news is to him?"

"I don't really care to understand how other's feel. I lost that caring a very…very long time ago." He told me. "And how is it horrible? You're engaged to the most prominent men in all of Albion. I'm a wealthy entrepreneur, handy with a gun, and of course a perfect lover in the bedroom. What's wrong with that?"

I was able to get one boot off and threw it off to the side, not really caring where it landed. "Well for starters, I'm not actually engaged to you. This is all just an act that you concocted because you're just a complete and total numb-skull." I growled before working on the other boot. "Also, I don't really care if you're rich and an entrepreneur. I could care less about how much money a man has."

"Lies." He responded with a roll of the eyes. "Money is everything these days."

"And as I stated before, I can handle myself. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of my well being."

"Another lie." He shot back. "I saved you back in Mistpeak from those Balvarines. If I hadn't been there, you would have either been dead or turned into one of them. And trust me, they make…very hairy and rough lovers."

"And there's my third point. I don't care about if they're a good lover or not. That's the last thing that's on my mind when I'm thinking about a man. I care more about how he acts and how he treats others and myself verses how he is in the bedroom."

Little did I know that Reaver had gotten up from the bed and made his way towards me. "Well…that's probably because you've never experienced anything like it." He purred as he knelt down on his knees in front of me. His fingers pushed mine out of the way so he could work on the laces of my boots, pulling on them slowly. "I'd be really good to you. You wouldn't have to ever worry about anything when you're with me. After all, you never really got to see what I could do after I invited you into my private quarters that night you broke in." When the laces were done, he slowly began pulling the boot off of my foot, sliding a hand up my calf. "I think you would enjoy a man's touch. Especially one with as much experience as me. All you have to say is please." He whispered, staring into my eyes.

Before his hands could go any higher, I pressed my foot to his chest, pushing him onto his back. "Again, I have no interest in doing anything with you. Especially in that nature."

Reaver lay on the floor, propped up by his elbows. "Oh I think you'll come around to it eventually." He said before lowering his voice. "They always do."

I rolled my eyes and gagged in disgust as I got up from my chair and made my way over to the door. "Look, it's been a pleasure having you tonight, but I really need to get some sleep and try to forget about what was just discussed." I told him, grabbing the handle. "So please, just leave."

Reaver got to his feet and crossed his arms across that bare alabaster chest. "As I've said before, I'm not going anywhere. As long as my room is covered in that sewage, I'm staying right here."

"Then go and find a different room to sleep in. Or even better yet, go sleep out on the grass." I sneered.

Before Reaver could say another word, I could hear a knock on the door.

"Oh now look what you did, you woke up the whole castle with your incessant yelling." Reaver complained.

I shushed him before going to open the door, but the sound of someone's door opening stopped me.

"Yes?" It sounded like Ben's voice.

"Excuse me, Major Finn, but your Majesty has requested your presence in the kitchen." A meek girl's voice said.

"She did? At this time of night?"

"She said it was urgent."

"Well…alright. Tell her I'll be down there soon."

"Yes Sir."

I could hear the door shut and someone's footsteps echoing through the door and then soon faded away.

My heart nearly leaped in my chest. Emma wanted to see Ben? In the kitchen? At night? Alone?

Excitedly, I began to grab my boots to go.

"Excuse me? What do you think you're doing?" he asked her. "You were just beginning to get undressed."

I shot a glare at him before deciding to toss my boots off to the side. I'll just go without them. "I've gotta get down there!" I exclaimed as I grabbed the door handle.

"Why?"

I gave him the 'are you kidding' look. "To see what happens! Or at least hear what happens." I informed him. "There's a little cabinet to hide in down in the kitchen so I'm going to go hide and listen in on them."

"Ahhh…so you're eavesdropping on their private moment. How rude of you." He said, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Oh shut it. I need to know what their current relationship is like. Especially since I've been gone for the past three months. We need to know where they're at to see what we can do to bring them closer. So if you don't mind, I have to get down there before they do."

Reaver sighed dramatically. "Fine fine. Go ahead and listen away to your friend. I'll just stay here and keep the bed warm."

"And as for that, I expect to see you gone when I get back." I threatened him. "So just pack up and get out."

"Oh Lizzie, you always manage to hurt me."

I rolled my eyes at him before leaving the room and carefully sprinted down the hall. Since it was nighttime, there weren't that many servants walking through the castle, making it easier for me to sneak around without looking like a loon. I didn't really want anyone to know what I was up to. This was my business and my business only. Well…except for the part where Reaver was in on it.

Once I made it to the kitchen, I peeked around the corner to find the massive kitchen empty. Coast was clear.

Carefully, I rushed over to the cabinet and opened the door. There were a few packages of food stocked in there. With a little bit of moving around, I could probably fit in there. Quickly, I began moving food around so there was a spot for me to climb in. Just when I was moving a bag of flour, a hand grabbed my shoulder, making me drop the flour and whirl around to hit my attacker. But their hand grabbed mine before it could connect with their face.

"Now really, you're going to attack someone for trying to get your attention." The assailant taunted me with those deep dark eyes. Those eyes that I despised.

"Can't be too careful. Especially in this world." I snapped at him before yanking my hand back.

"We are in a kitchen in the royal castle." Reaver explained. "I don't think you're going to have much trouble there."

He was wearing a button up shirt and his trousers that he normally wore with his suit. At least he wasn't in just his boxers.

"Trust me, with all of the Mercenaries and monsters out there, they would probably find a way in." I told him. "And back to what is happening at this moment, what are you doing down here?"

He shrugged. "I got a little lonely up there."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh please, you just wanted to come and see what was going on." I responded as I picked up the flour and set it off to the side.

"Of course not. I wanted to see my favorite sharpshooter."

"You saw me a few moments ago." I shot back, pulling a few more items out of the cabinet.

"You aren't really going to hide in that…compacted cabinet…are you?"

"I used to do it all the time when I was little." I informed him.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "My my, weren't you the little eavesdropper."

"I didn't eavesdrop all the time. Sometimes I wanted some sweets and I hid in there so nobody would find me."

"Ah, so you were a rebel even when you were a child. How interesting."

I dropped another bag of flour and turned to face him. "You know what Reaver, I think you should just go and-" I was cut off by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs, signaling that someone was on their way downstairs. My heart began to race as I frantically tried to figure out what to do. "Hide!" I whispered to Reaver before climbing into the cabinet.

Just when I was getting adjusted in the tight space, Reaver began to climb inside. "No! Don't you dare!" I snapped.

"Oh hush up, I don't know where to hide." He snarled as he tried to pull the doors shut.

"Go outside." I grunted as his elbow hit me in the gut. "Or better yet, try the oven."

He didn't listen as the doors shut, leaving us in the dark. I could barely breath from way we were positioned. Pretty sure his knee was in my side and his elbow was still in-bedded in my stomach.

"Reaver…" I winced. "Get off of me…"

"Why? Don't want to be close to me?" he purred, his hot breath hitting my face. His face was so close to mine that I could see his dark eyes from the crack of light that shone through the cabinet doors.

"Exactly." I growled. "And you're crushing me."

He adjusted a little bit to get his elbow out of my stomach. "There. Better?"

"Oh I'll be better when you're away from me." I shot back, glaring at him.

Before he could say another word to me, I heard someone outside of the cabinet clear their throat. It was deep and slightly rough like a man's. Ben.

I held a finger to my lips to silently tell Reaver to shut up. He made a face in response.

Then I heard another voice, a more feminine voice. "I'm glad you came."

"Emma." Ben breathed.

My heart jumped in my chest. This was it!

"Well this is a bit surprising." He said to her. "Meeting in the kitchen in the middle of the night. You aren't trying to get me out of bed for a private war meeting and a midnight snack, are you?"

She giggled softly. "No, not this time. I um…I wanted to talk about earlier."

"About the mission? Of course I'll come. I'm always ready to take out some nasty Hobbes." He said with all the determination in his voice. Typical Ben.

"No, I wanted to talk about…Eliza."

There was a pause.

"Oh…and what about her?" I could hear the creaking of one of the stools as he sat down probably.

"You shouldn't have gotten so angry at her."

He gave a dry laugh. "Oh I shouldn't be angry with her? Emma, she's engaged to Reaver! Reaver! The man who helped Logan tax all of those innocent villagers and killed some of those who rebelled against the King."

"Well some of them deserved it." Reaver whispered, earning a punch to the gut from yours truly.

"Ow!" he winced quietly. "That hurt."

His legs were straddling one of my knees. I could knee him where it hurt the most.

I shushed him before listening to my friends' conversation.

"I know." Emma responded.

"And you're okay with this? Emma, do you hear yourself?" Ben exclaimed.

"Of course I do. But if it's Eliza's decision to be in love with him, then what are we supposed to do? Break up their love?"

"Well I thought we could kill him or lead him out into Silverpines to be eaten by balverines." Ben chuckled.

Reaver's mouth gaped. "Excuse me? But I think I should go out in a better way than that." He whispered.

"I think a swift bullet to the head would be better. Then we feed you to the balvarines." I retorted with a smirk.

Reaver glared down at me.

"That's not funny Ben." Emma scolded him.

"Of course it is. Getting to watch that sod getting eaten by the things that he had affairs with would be the perfect way to get rid of him." Then he paused. "Then again, if he gets bitten and left alive to transform, then he'll come back here and try to eat us."

"Shut up Ben." Emma told him, making me giggle softly. "You can't take this out on Eliza. She's your friend and she's been there for us this whole time."

He laughed dryly. "Some friend she's turned out to be. Bet she's sleeping with the enemy right now."

Reaver chuckled softly and I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. Me? In bed? With Reaver? No way!

"We could be doing that right now, Lizzie. Imagine us entangled in the sheets together…doing things that you only dreamed of-" he stopped when he felt my knee between his legs.

"One more word and my knee comes up." I warned him. "And I'm not bluffing."

Reaver sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine fine, but still, I bet it would be an entertaining night."

Rolling my eyes, I went back to listening to Ben and Emma.

"That's not funny Ben. I mean it." She told him again. "I don't know why she's in love with him, but we can't stop it. She's our friend no matter what and we should support her decision to be with Reaver."

"But Emma, he's a murderer! What if he does something to Liz? It'll be our fault if we let that narcissistic sadist hurt her!" he exclaimed.

Emma sighed. "I know…but I…I don't think he'll hurt her. Eliza is smarter than that." She told him, making me smile. "If he does anything along those lines, hopefully she'll realize that he's a horrible man and she'll leave him or better than that, she'll kill him."

"Boy, isn't that the truth." I mumbled under my breath.

"What?" Reaver rasped.

"Nothing."

Reaver stared at me for a moment before turning his attention to their conversation.

"Eliza is a smart girl. She knows what she's doing…I think." Emma told Ben. "But that doesn't mean that we should push her away and blame her. Something happened and she's in love with Reaver."

"But-"

"You really hurt her tonight, Ben. She was really hurt by what you said and she only wants to make amends with you. Please…talk to her. Apologize if you can."

There was another silent pause.

"Fine…" he grumbled. "I won't like it, but I'll support her. I'll talk to her tomorrow."

"Thank you." She sighed in relief.

There was yet another pause.

"Okay, now that's all and done with. I shall see you in the morning." She told him.

"Emma…wait."

I adjusted myself so I could see outside through the crack in the door. Emma stood there in her frilly white pj's and a night bonnet while Ben stood in his army pants and his puffy shirt. His hand enclosed around her wrist, keeping her near him.

She gazed at Ben, the way that a woman does when she's seeing the love of her life. The look that I've seen her give him from the moment they met.

My heart began to race with anticipation. What was he wanting?

"What is it…Ben?" Her voice was trembling a little, but she tried to sound strong.

He hesitated for a moment, not letting go of her wrist. "Are…are you okay?"

"Of course I am." She responded.

His eyes looked down at his bare feet. "I know you're not."

She looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

He met her eyes again. "Are you still having nightmares?"

Emma tensed up. "I…"

"You don't have to talk about them if you don't want to." He assured her, moving his thumb back and forth across her wrist.

She was quiet for a few moments, biting down on her lower lip. "Yes…yes I still have them." She whispered. "Every night…the same thing…over and over."

"The Darkness?" he inquired.

She nodded in response, closing her eyes. "It's hard to go to sleep at night."

Ben's shoulder fell and stayed still for a moment. Then he pulled her into his arms, hugging her close.

Her arms slid around his body to hold him against her. "The whole town dying. Walter suffering in the desserts of Aurora. My friends dying…Jasper…Page…Bandit…Eliza…" her voice got shaky towards the end. "You…"

He shushed her softly as he rubbed her back. "Don't worry. I'm still here. I'm not going anywhere."

I could see Emma tremble and shake as they stood there together.

Poor Emma. Ever since her encounter with the Darkness and the Crawler, she's been so afraid. The Crawler had nearly blinded Walter and killed them both. If it weren't for Emma's Hero strength, they would have surely died in there. She was brave. Very brave. But…now that she was the Queen, she was ensured with everyone's safety. One wrong move and she could doom them all. No wonder she was having all of those nightmares. I wasn't there, but the way that she described it to me, it sounded absolutely horrifying.

They stood there for a bit before Emma pulled away, wiping her tears away. "I'm sorry. Here I am, crying like a baby and ruining your shirt."

He just chuckled. "At least it's tears and not blood. And I don't mind at all." He told her as he wiped a tear off her cheek. "Besides, I hate to see you suffer like this."

"I'm sorry…"

"And stop apologizing. That's what I'm here for. To help you through the tough times."

She sighed and gave him a smile. "Why are you always so good to me, Ben?"

He shrugged. "Because I really care about you, Em. You're one of my closest friends and I hate to see you go through this." He whispered, tucking a stray hair that stuck out of her night bonnet. "If you ever need someone to talk to, you've always got me. I can even chase those bad dreams away if I can."

She nodded, her cheeks flushing red. "Yeah. Bet you'd go after them with that rifle of yours."

"Oy, her name is Vanessa, remember?"

She giggled. "Oh yeah, I think my nightmares will be frightened by a rifle that was named after your first love."

"Well she packs a punch. Shooting three Hollowmen in the head!"

Emma shook her head. "Yeah, I'm sure that really happened, Ben."

"Whatever." He sighed dramatically before he smiled. "There's that smile."

She blushed again before looking down.

"Maybe that ought to scare off the bad dreams."

"Maybe." She responded softly.

They stared at each other for a moment before Ben spoke up. "Well I think we've been down here long enough. May I escort you to your room, Your Majesty?" he asked, offering his arm.

She smiled before taking his arm. "Of course, Major Finn."

"Still trying to get used to that." He said before leading her up.

"Oh you love it." She giggled again.

Their laughs faded out as well as their footsteps.

Once it was quiet, I sighed to myself. I could definitely see the love and admiration in both of their eyes. Ben had some sort of feeling towards Emma. He said that he really cared about her. That was a sign! I had to find out more on tomorrow's journey.

"Well that was uneventful." Reaver grumbled.

Oh right. He was here still.

"What are you talking about? There was lot that just went on."

He raised a dark brown eyebrow. "You call _**that**_ a lot? I call that just a bunch of nonsense and crying."

"It's called sympathy. Something that you're not aware of." I snapped back.

"Oh I'm fully aware of it, I just don't have any." He responded, smoothing his hair back.

My lips pressed together in a thin line before pushing against him. "Do you mind getting off me? They're gone now."

He smirked and leaned in closer. "Actually, I thought we could stay in here for awhile longer. It's much more intimate in here."

In response, I gently kneed him between the legs, making him yelp in pain. "Out!"

Reaver glared at me, holding his lower stomach before pushing the door open. Once he was out, he stumbled off to the side to hold onto the prep table while I got out, stretching out my sore muscles.

"That hurt!"

"Exactly. I warned you." I responded with a satisfied smirk, brushing off my shirt of any dust or powder that clung to the fabric.

"Never thought you'd actually do it." He grunted as he leaned against the table.

"Oh I don't bluff, Reaver." I bragged as I stretched my legs. "If I did, then I wouldn't get the satisfaction of hitting you."

He shot a glare at me before I turned around and strut up the stairs, leaving the kitchen.

That felt good. Never got to do that before. Never really had the chance to do something like that to him, but it was thrilling. Wish I would have hit harder. Might have shut him up for awhile.

As I made my way back to my room, I couldn't hear Reaver's footsteps. Ha! Maybe kneeing him scared him off. Looks like he wasn't going to spend the night with me after all.

Once I made it inside, I went over to my pack and pulled out a night shirt and pants. My eyes trained to the bed, smiling as I stared at the fluffy pillows and blankets. My body shook with anticipation and started to wear down. I was ready for one long night of blissful sleep. I quickly tugged my shirt over my head, wanting to almost jump into the bed immediately.

But the door opening behind me made me gasp in surprise and held the shirt against my chest as I whirled around to see Reaver standing there with lust in his eyes. "Well this certainly makes up for the kick you gave me."

Thank goodness I hadn't taken the binding on my chest off. Then I would have had a real problem. Still, I didn't want him to see me like this!

"Get out!" I squeaked.

He just crossed his arms and leaned against the closed door. "Haven't you forgotten about our predicament? I don't have anywhere to sleep tonight."

"And I said, you should go somewhere else!" I snapped, holding my shirt against me in an iron grip.

"Oh no, you're not getting rid of me that easily. No matter how many times you hit me, I'm still coming back."

By the tone of his voice, it sounded like he wasn't going to leave at all.

Growling deeply under my breath, I let out of huff of frustration. "Fine! But if you're staying here, there are rules."

"Ah, of course. The rules. Very well, go ahead and inform me of the rules."

"First of all, look away. When I say that I mean turn around and no peeking." I commanded.

"And why should I do that? I mean you saw me naked, remember?" he purred, his eyes trailing up and down my body.

I held the shirt against me. "Not completely and I refused to see any more of it. So at least be decent for a moment and let me change!"

He sighed heavily before turning around. "Fine fine. Go ahead and let me be blind to your naked beauty."

Rolling my eyes, I made quick haste to pull my nightshirt over my head before shimmying out of my pants and then grabbing my night ones. Once I was dressed, I cleared my throat. "Okay, you can turn around now."

Reaver turned around and pouted. "Oh come now dear, it's not that bad."

Ignoring his comment, I went over to the bed and grabbed a few pillows from the massive amount that was left there. I highly doubted I was going to sleep on all of them. But they did come in handy for something. I lined them up down the middle, creating a small wall that split up both sides of the bed.

"There! This is my side!" I announced, pointing to the right side of the bed. "Then the left side is yours!"

He walked over to the bed, staring at the new spot that I had given him. "It's a bit…cramped." He complained. "Can't I have more space?"

"You're even lucky that I'm letting you share my bed. Deal with it." I told him before pulling back the covers to climb under them and faced the other way.

I could hear the rustling of his clothes. Must be taking them off so he can sleep in his boxers. Then he huffed before climbing under the sheets as well.

"Please tell me you're wearing something."

"Of course I am." he responded. "But I could always change that."

"Don't you dare." I threatened him before I leaned over and blew out the candles next to my bed. Reaver did the same to his side.

We were left in the dark now, except for the beautiful moonlight that shone through the stained glass windows.

"Well this has been an eventful day." I mumbled.

"Indeed it has." Reaver agreed. "It should be an eventful one tomorrow as well. Lots of fighting and killing."

"Yay killing…" I responded sarcastically. "Just what I love."

Reaver chuckled in the dark. "Well it's just monsters."

I frowned as he lay my cheek against the pillow. "No one really deserves to die."

"Not even me?"

I hesitated for a moment.

"I guess…it depends…"

"Depends? On what? You just said no one deserves to die."

"Sometimes…I don't even think that you're a person." I responded, shutting my eyes.

Reaver went silent for a few moments. "Then what am I then?"

My shoulders shrugged. "I don't really know."

"Am I a man? Or am I…something else."

'A monster.' I told myself, but I didn't really want to say anything. The last thing I wanted was a fight. I was too tired to argue anymore.

"It doesn't matter." I mumbled softly. "Just get some sleep."

It was silent in the room for a few moments before Reaver spoke up. "You didn't really say any other rules."

I cracked an eye open. "Don't touch me."

"That's it?" he questioned. "What if I want to cuddle a little bit?"

"Forget it Reaver." I responded quickly, shutting my eyes.

"Aww…but I always have someone to cuddle with." He pouted. "Keeps the bed nice and warm. Not to mention a quick midnight romp."

That thought made me sick. "Then cuddle yourself. Just leave me alone."

"Fine fine…" he sighed. "Well then…goodnight Lizzie."

"Yeah…night Reaver…" I grumbled as I cuddled into the warm bed sheets.

Things were silent again before I could hear a soft snore next to me. So he actually fell asleep. Good.

I pulled the pillow closer to me and the sheets up to my chin. It was so warm in this bed. I really hoped for a good night's sleep. Hopefully I would get to stay in this bed for a little while longer before going back to Brightwall. It might be awhile since Reaver and I had some time to get Emma and Ben together. From the looks of things tonight, it seemed that there was a relationship there. However, I didn't really know if Ben had any feelings for Emma. I guess time would tell.

But for now, all I could focus on was a good night's sleep. Before I knew it, I slowly fell asleep, hoping that things would go well tomorrow.

* * *

 **Wow! Lots of crazy stuff! lol this was a lot of fun to write because of the arguments and hilarious moments between Eliza and Reaver. Also the cute moment between Ben and Emma almost made me cry when I was writing it. I thought it sounded really sweet! I hope that everyone enjoyed this new chapter!**

 **Please review this! Or message me if you have any comments, suggestions, or you just wanna talk. I'll try to get the next chapter done since it's coming up on summer! Graduation is less than a few weeks away! And my con is about a month away too! I'm sorry, I'm just sooo excited about this all! XD Thanks everyone!**


	8. Chapter 8

Hey everyone! Sorry about the wait! Hope everyone is having a good summer so far! Lots of things have been going on for the past two months lol Finally got my bachelor's degree! All that hard work and I finally got it! Now to look for jobs, which I'm not completely looking forward to. But on another good note, went to my favorite convention a few weeks ago, and it was AMAZING! Loved it! Didn't get to go as the Fable princess as I hoped, but there's always next time! 

Anyways, this was a hard chapter to write because I'm not used to some of the stuff that I wrote in this one, so this was quite a challenge to me. But I hope it sounds okay. And of course, I love writing Reaver moments lol 

I wanna say thank you sooooo much to everyone who reviewed and added/followed me! It made me so ecstatic to see how many of you are enjoying this story! You guys are the reason why I continue this story! I want to write fanfics that are enjoyable for you guys! I'm glad that you're enjoying them! Please leave a review if you can, I wanna hear what you think! Or if you wanna message me, I'm always up for talking and answering questions! I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fable. If I did, then Ben Finn and Reaver would have been people that you could marry in the game lol**

* * *

 **Review Responses:** Thank you so much to my lovely reviewers! You're all awesome! I love hearing from you, even if it's a short review, it still helps boost my confidence with this story!

 **ChaiHarker:** I'm glad you're still a loyal follower! lol I'm trying to update as soon as I can. Thanks! Finally got my degree! 5 years of hard work! hahahaha yes! I ship them too, even if I created Eliza haha (assuming that you changed your name lol)

 **DaGangstar074:** lols there will be more! And a lot more of Reaver's attitude haha

 **Fox1212:** I'm really happy you're enjoying it! haha I'm glad it made you laugh! That was my goal for this! haha oh my! Aww thanks sweetie! It'll be out soon! :)

 **Guest:** haha you're welcome! I'm glad you like it!

* * *

My eyes felt heavy. Almost too heavy to open. But the softness of the pillow under my cheek made me feel so comfortable. I didn't want the feeling to end. The warm sun on my face made me sigh and the heated blankets were too nice to take off. But…I knew it would have to end.

Finally, my eyes began to open and squinted immediately as the sun nearly blinded me. Adjusting myself in the bed, I moved my head out of the way so I could see. I was in one of the guest rooms in Bowerstone Castle and for once, I actually felt at peace. At least the most peaceful feeling in a long time.

Memories of the previous day filled my mind. I was here to bring Emma and Ben together finally. They had been too shy of revealing their feelings for too long and it was time for them to become a couple. And today was the day that they were going off to Driftwood to eliminate a horde of nasty hobbes from destroying the village. The perfect time to try and see what their relationship was like.

But before I could move to get out of bed, something held me and wouldn't let me go. Pulling the sheets up slightly, I found a bare arm wrapped around my stomach. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What the-?

"Mm…just a few more moments…I'm too comfy right now…" a velvety voice purred in my ear, making my blood run cold.

Slowly I turned my head and my fears came true. Reaver's sleeping face was only inches away from my own, making me cringe internally.

Oh right, he was here.

Instantly, I elbowed him in the stomach, making him gasp in pain and pulled away from me. "Ow!"

"Get off!" I growled before pushing his arm away. Then I grabbed a pillow and smacked him with it repeatedly. "You idiot!"

His arms shielded his face from getting pelted. "Stop! Ah! What did I do?"

"You…selfish…sexual…deviant!" I shouted with every hit I made.

"Stop it!" he cried out, retreating back to his side of the bed. "You're going to break something!"

"Good! Then it'll teach you a lesson about touching me after I said that there was none of it!" I yelled before I stopped hitting him.

Sensing that I was done, Reaver slowly lowered his arms and probably regretted it when I smacked him in the face one last time.

His hair was askew and he didn't look amused.

I didn't really care. Grumbling under my breath, I threw the covers off and got out of bed before going over to my bag to get my clothes for the day.

"Was that really necessary?" he grumbled.

Rummaging through my pack, I searched for a good top to wear. "Of course it was. You ignored the code."

"Code? What code?"

"The code of the pillow wall." I responded, finding a soft green tunic type shirt and then began searching for a good pair of pants.

"Code of the pillow wall? I've never heard of such a thing." He responded, getting out of bed.

"I'm shocked that you don't know about it. After all, you spend most of your time in bed." I shot back, finding a pair of brown explorer pants.

"Not all day long." He responded, his bare feet padding over to me. "I do spend a lot of time in my private study. Trust me, there are lots of places to do those sorts of things."

I gagged at the silkiness in his tone and turned to face him. "My point is, if someone puts up a pillow wall, you respect your bed mate's privacy and don't cross that wall until it is down."

"Oh you and your rules. Rules shouldn't apply in bed." He purred huskily. "Never."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Well they do for me. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a nice warm bath waiting for me."

He grabbed my arm before I left. "Is there room in that tub for one more?"

"Of course not. But I believe there is room for you…in the ocean." I sneered before yanking my arm away and leaving the bedroom. "Maybe there's a big old sea monster that you could take a bath with!"

Thank Avo, I didn't have to see Reaver for awhile. As soon as I left the bedroom, one of Emma's maids tracked me down and escorted me off to a big bathtub. One of the best baths I had in a long time. They used several kinds of oils and soaps to get the blood and grime out of my hair and made me smell like I had just walked through a garden. After the bath, I was dried off and given my clothes to change into. One of the maids even braided my hair to make me look nice and to get my hair out of my face.

Not very often that I had someone to do that. I could do it myself of course, but I wasn't perfect.

Once I was done, I went downstairs to the dining room to see the servants bringing out different breakfast foods. Well at least I was getting a good meal before heading back out on the road.

I sat down and started to eat until Emma rushed in. No longer was she wearing a dress. This time, she was wearing her short purple skirt with leggings and a cotton shirt with a corset on the outside. Yep, the old tomboy princess was back.

"I'm sorry I'm so late." She apologized as she sat down next to me. "Kept getting caught up with frantic servants."

I giggled as I took a sip of juice. "It's fine, Emma. I was just trying to get a head start in case we had to leave immediately."

She sighed as she began piling her plate with food. "Well that's another thing, we can't take too long eating. We've got a long travel to Driftwood and we need to get on the road as fast as we can."

We both ate quickly and talked for a few moments before Ben walked in. His eyes met mine for a moment before he glanced away and sat down across from me. He filled up his plate, avoiding my gaze as he ate. I really hoped that he would forgive me. Ben was mad at a lot of people in his life and held a few nasty grudges. But he couldn't hate me and have a grudge against me? Could he?

But last night's conversation held hope for me. He promised Emma that he would talk to me. Hopefully it would be a good one.

Emma cleared her throat and continued with our conversation. "As I was saying, I feel that the army is at a good point and there haven't been any travesties."

"Well that's good to hear." I told her with a smile, eating a bite of eggs. "I know that you're a great ruler, but I do worry a little with all of the responsibilities that you have."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Well…they never said it would be easy. I have things to attend to every day and I hardly have time to myself anymore. But…I'm happy that things are going back to normal. With Logan off the throne, there is less anger and hate among the public. Not to mention, there haven't been any executions. At least ones that I'm aware of."

That made me smile. "Speaking of your brother, where is he keeping himself these days?"

"Well…Logan has been off in Aurora. He said that he wanted to try and make up for the false promises that he made to the people over there. He does write sometimes." She responded, picking at a slice of bacon with her fork. "Kalin has written to me as well, telling me about his progress that he's made with the people. She said that the people are slowly warming up to him, but it's not going to be easy to win them over for the nightmares that they encountered when he left."

My fork poked at my eggs as I tried to find the words to ask about her once evil brother. "Is…everything okay…between you two?"

She sighed before responding. "Yes…a little. We're working on forgiveness right now. He's apologized for what he did to Elliot and Major Swift. Also for what he did to the people, but he said that he's still trying to gain my full forgiveness. I'm still upset with him…but I guess sparing his life was considered part of the forgiveness."

"I'm still proud of you for that."

She nodded in response while Ben huffed.

Of course he was still mad. I mean, if someone murdered my father figure in front of the whole kingdom, of course I'd still be infuriated with them. That was one grudge that Ben was probably going to hold for a long time.

"Anyways, he said when it gets closer to the final battle, he'll come back to fight with us." Emma continued.

"Good to hear." I responded. "We could always use more soldiers."

When that topic was finished, the three of us ate for a bit, not really talking. During that time, there were several questions that were swirling around in my head. What was going to happen between Emma and Ben? Was Ben going to apologize to me like he promised Emma last night? And where was Reaver?

"Ahhh good morning all!"

Oh…there he is.

I saw Ben roll his eyes. "Great…"

He was dressed in his dress clothes from the day before and his hat and goggles were perched on his head once again.

"I would hope that you three didn't eat everything." He said, sliding into a seat next to me. "You know how I love breakfast. Most important meal of the day."

"Of course not Reaver. We aren't gluttons." Emma responded curtly.

"Why would I ever assume that you're a bunch of gluttons? I'm just simply wondering if there was still breakfast to be served." He said smoothly.

'Uh-huh, sure Reaver.' I thought sarcastically to myself.

"Soooo when do we leave?" he asked, filling up a plate full of food.

"We'll pack up for the journey as soon as we're done eating. I have a carriage on the way to help us get there." Emma informed him as she continued to eat.

"Ahhh a carriage. How quaint."

I rolled my eyes in annoyance as I ate more. Why did he always have to be so annoying?

"Well good morning, Major Finn." He greeted Ben.

Ben just glared at him. "Reaver."

"What? That's it? Nothing else?"

Ben's blue eyes met his. "Look, I would appreciate it if you didn't talk to me this morning. I'm still irritated from last night and I'm not looking forward to traveling with you either. So could you just shut your pompous trap for a little bit?" he growled under his breath.

Reaver sighed dramatically. "Oh very well then. You have to be so demanding, Benjamin."

"And don't call me that either."

Emma shook her head in dismay. "How about the both of you could just shut up and eat? We've got a long journey today and we need to be ready for the battle too. And this isn't one of those battles."

Both men just grumbled and did as they were instructed.

I just laughed to myself. 'Maybe I should ask her how to control people like that.'

* * *

After breakfast was over, we all went off to pack our bags for the upcoming trip and battle. I made sure to pack plenty of food and ammo to use. You never know when something was going to happen. Hobbes were a bit brainless and all, but they could be unexpected at times.

A knock at the door behind me made me turn my head.

"Um…hey…" Ben greeted awkwardly.

"Hey…"

Shuffling his feet, he let out a quick cough. "Um…so…you all packed?"

Slinging my pack over my shoulder, I responded with, "Yeah. How about you?"

"Oh you know. Got all the basic stuff. Weapons, food, anything that could destroy a hobbe in seconds."

"Good…that's good."

There was an awkward pause for a bit before Ben spoke up. "Um…look…I uh…I wanted to apologize for what I said last night."

There was that apology I was waiting for.

I rested a hand on my hip. "Yeah?"

His eyes darted to the floor. "Yeah. I was being an idiot and I wanted to say that I'm sorry."

Then I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "For?"

This made him sigh heavily. "For all the nasty things I said about you choosing Reaver as a…oh come on Liz, don't make me say that word!" he begged.

I rolled my eyes, exhaling loudly. "Fine."

His shoe scuffed the tiled floor. "So…are we okay?"

Giving him a half smile, I nodded. "Of course. We're okay."

That bright smile appeared on his lips before he walked over, pulling me into a big bear hug. "Awww Liz!"

I giggled and hugged back. "Aww Benny."

"Oy, don't call me that." He responded, pulling back with a serious look on his face.

"Aw you love it." I chuckled, messing up his hair a little with my hand.

He laughed before pushing my hand away. "Cut it out. Don't wanna look bad when rushing into battle."

"Ben, we're going up against some nasty hobbes that smell like a sewer. I highly doubt they're going to be looking at your hair."

"Still, I want to look good."

Giggling, I grabbed my hairbrush from the nearby table and put it back into my bag. "Whatever you say Ben. Now come on, we've got to get a move on."

"Alright, Liz. Whatever you say." He responded before leaving my room. But before he could walk away, he leaned back around the corner to give me a huge grin. "Glad to know we're still friends."

I grinned back. "Me too."

"See ya down there, Liz!" he shouted before he left finally.

Shaking my head, I went back to packing my bag. Well that couldn't have gone any better. Ben's forgiven me and now I could get things back on track.

"Ahhh…there she is! I see that things are much better with young Benjamin!" Reaver's voice spoke from behind me.

Sighing heavily, I rolled my eyes. "Hello again, Reaver. Thought you would have left by now."

He chuckled as he walked further into the room. "And leave my lovely fiancee alone? I don't think so."

"When are you going to stop calling me that?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

"Oh I don't think I'll ever stop. Besides, it has a nice ring to it."

Why did I have to be 'engaged' to him of all people?

I grumbled under my breath before throwing the pack over my shoulder. "Look, just don't call me that when it's just the two of us."

He gave a long melodramatic sigh. "Very well. I shall just call you Lizzie then."

'Ugh…even worse.' I groaned to myself.

"Whatever…" I mumbled before pushing past him. "Come on."

Reaver followed me outside and down the steps to the main foyer where some of the servants were carrying a few bags outside to a horse drawn carriage. Emma stood by the carriage thanking all of them and nodding to the driver up front. Her eyes met mine and smiled as I walked down the big winding stairs.

"All packed up and ready to go?" she asked, helping me put my bag on the back end of the carriage with the rest of the luggage.

"Yep, I think so."

Emma glanced over to see Reaver without a bag. "Didn't pack anything, Reaver?"

"Oh no, your Majesty. My mansion is near Driftwood. If I'm in need of something, I'll just stop by and have my servants bring me it." Reaver informed her in a bragging tone.

Naturally, he has to brag about everything.

Shaking my head, I moved over to the carriage doors and looked inside the cab. It was a nice interior with dark purple plush seats. Emma's color of course. Suddenly, realization hit me when I discovered that I was going to have to sit very close to Reaver in the same seat. I mean I could always sit next to Emma, but then I would be forcing Ben to sit with Reaver, which is something I really didn't want to have to do especially since we just made up for Reaver's stupidity. And of course I couldn't let Emma sit next to him. She'd absolutely hate me. Besides, he is my…ugh…fiancee.

"Well, looks like we'll be next to one another again." Reaver purred in my ear from behind. "Why must we end up in these kinds of predicaments?"

I shot a glare over my shoulder. "Just shut up." I growled before opening the door to let myself inside and sat down.

Reaver climbed in as well, sitting right next to me. "So rude."

"Oh I'm rude? You're rude to everyone in all of Albion!" I hissed at him.

"Me? Rude? I hardly think so. I think of myself as a more of an...intelligent and sophisticated man."

Snorting softly, I folded my arms across my chest and lifted a leg to cross the other. "I think you need to think of some other words that describe you, Reaver."

"And what words would those be?"

"Oh, I know you've heard just about most of them."

This just made him laugh. "It's possible. But I always love to hear what people are calling me these days."

"Pretty much every insult you can think of. Egotistical, an imbecile, asinine, half-witted. The list goes on and on."

He scoffed. "Insulting me doesn't hurt."

"Oh I'm not insulting you, I'm describing you."

He shot a glare at me before Ben climbed into the carriage with us, sitting across from me. His eyes darted between the two of us before meeting my eyes. "Seriously, what do you see in him?"

Reaver frowned. "I beg your pardon, but I think that she's infatuated with my devilishly good looks."

I just sighed and shook my head, propping my elbow up on the windowsill so I could gaze outside.

There was an awkward silence in the carriage before Emma climbed inside and sat next to Ben and across from Reaver.

Jasper came to the window. "Are you sure about this, Miss Emma?"

She just chuckled softly. "Jasper, you know me. I can handle anything."

He just sighed. There was no controlling her. No matter how many times he tried to protest, she was always able to prove him wrong and show that she was capable. "You're right. I need to stop doubting that you'll be safe. But do be careful. We can't have a ruler in the clinic when there's a kingdom to be run."

Emma just shook her head. "I'll be fine. You and Walter take care of things while I'm gone. We should be back soon."

He bowed. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

She rolled her eyes again.

Suddenly a whimper sounded below the carriage, making her look out the window.

"No Bandit, you can't come with me this time. There's not enough room in here already. I'm sorry, Boy. You can come on my next adventure."

Bandit barked outside and whimpered.

"I'm sorry…" Emma sighed.

"I shall keep the young hairy prince here with me." Jasper assured her.

"Thank you, Jasper."

Jasper nodded to her before meeting my gaze. "You be careful too, Miss Eliza."

I smiled at him. "I'll be fine. You know I can handle myself as well. As long as I have my rifle, I'll blow those hobbes right out of the way."

"Always so violent." He sighed.

Reaver smirked and chuckled softly, making me shoot a glare at him.

Jasper talked to the driver and waved to us before the driver pulled on the reins to start the horses into a quick trot, pulling the carriage out of the gates of the castle.

The journey was long and quite awkward, especially with all of the silence between the four of us. The Queen, a military general, an entrepreneur, and a hunter; quite a bunch of misfits.

Once we made it to Millfields, Reaver finally spoke up. "Do you mind if we make a quick stop at my mansion?"

Ben's eyebrows knit together. "Why?"

Reaver scoffed. "Why this is one of my favorite suits. I'd rather keep it clean and blood spatter free."

Ben snorted. "Oh, so what you're saying is that you've got a suit in that big old mansion of yours that is allowed to be splattered with blood?"

"Oh no, I just have some that the blood can be washed out of properly."

Ben glowered at him, but stopped when Emma placed a hand on Ben's arm.

"We are not making any special stops, Reaver. We need to be in Driftwood soon before anything happens to the villagers." She told Reaver with a serious expression that read 'do not test me'.

Reaver just sighed heavily. "Oh very well. But…perhaps I could offer you some of the finest wine in my cellar."

"I can get my own wine, thank you very much." She responded curtly. Emma couldn't be bought with wine. Reaver should know better.

He just pouted like a child and looked out the window.

This made me smirk widely.

Emma met my gaze and smiled. She knew I was satisfied by that sight.

Things went quiet again. All we could hear was the clippy-clops of the horse's feet against the cobblestone and the driver whistling an unfamiliar tune. It was kind of peaceful, besides being silent among these three. Hopefully things would be less strange when we got to Driftwood. Then again, the hobbes were awfully strange.

Ben jumped suddenly, looking out the window. "Did you see that?"

"See what?" I asked.

"Something just moved." He responded, moving his head around to see things better.

I glanced out the window to only see various trees and plants. "I don't see anything."

Ben continued to stare and slowly reached behind him to pull his rifle out.

"Ben, what are you-" Emma started, her eyes wide with shock.

"There's something out there." He said, narrowing his own eyes.

My heart skipped a beat as I searched the woods to see if something was really out there.

"Maybe your mind is stuck in the war, Major Finn." Reaver told him. "You're just seeing Hollowmen."

Ben glared over his shoulder at Reaver as he pulled his rifle out and rested the muzzle at the edge of the window. "Shut it, Reaver. I have sharp eyes."

We waited to see if something would appear. The only sounds were the horses' feet and the whistling. My heart was pounding in my chest as my eyes darted around.

Suddenly a rabbit burst out of the bushes, making us jump, but relax that it wasn't something else.

Ben sighed and and pulled his rifle back. "Sorry about that. Guess I'm just a little on edge. You know, gotta protect royalty and all." He mumbled, glancing over at Emma.

She just playfully rolled her eyes. "Ben, I can take care of myself. I'm a Hero, remember."

"And what am I? Chopped liver?" I joked, trying to make light of the situation like Emma was.

Ben just chuckled with us, shaking his head. "I know you two can handle yourselves. I just want to try and protect you two."

Reaver raised a dark brow. "And what about me?"

Ben's blue eyes glanced at him and rolled. "You…you can just be our shield when they attack." He responded, almost making me snort.

Reaver scoffed. "How dare you speak to me like that! I'm the most capable fighter in this whole-"

Suddenly a bullet shot through the carriage, hitting the wall next to Reaver's head, cutting him off completely. His eyes darted to the hole while the rest of us looked out the window to see a group of mercenaries emerge out of the bushes with several rifles, pistols, and bombs ready to aim at us.

In the sudden moment, Ben quickly aimed his rifle and fired at them while I tried to reach for my own weapon.

Cursing under my breath, I realized that I left my rifle in my pack on the back of the carriage.

Thankfully, Ben and Reaver had their rifles. And of course Emma had her hero powers to shoot out the window.

Bullets began to rain against the carriage, making me hide behind the wall beside my head to avoid getting hit. Ben was able to fire a few shots, knocking one of the Mercenaries down, while Emma leaned around him to throw a fire ball at one of them. Thankfully, she didn't catch the carriage or any of us on fire.

Suddenly I was pushed back against the seat and Reaver was almost on top of me. I could see his Dragonstomper wedge it's way through the window and fired a few shots. If we weren't in battle right now, he would be out of the carriage with a bullet in his skull.

Suddenly a loud gunshot sounded and the carriage suddenly lurched and the cab began shaking and jerked from side to side. Reaver was thrown back onto his side and his Dragonstomper hit me in the head.

Slightly dazed from the hit, I could hear Ben's voice. "Hold on! Runaway carriage!"

With my vision slightly blurred, I could see barely see a figure leaning out the window. "The driver's been shot!" Emma's distorted voice yelled.

"Stop the horses before we die!" Reaver shouted before his body smashed into mine, making me hit my head against the wall, further distorting me.

The whole area was spinning and my body felt like it was being tossed around like a child's rag doll. The carriage suddenly shook beneath me and my head hit something else before everything went black.

* * *

"Li….an…ou...ar…me…" a distorted voice spoke.

My eyes felt heavy. Heavier than when I was trying to wake up. Like a weight was holding them down.

A pressure on my arm shook me, as if trying to rouse me out of whatever was happening. "Li…wa…up!"

My name? Who was saying my name?

A weak moan left my lips as I tried so hard to open my eyes.

"Come…on…" The voice sounded much clearer. "Wake up…"

Another moan escaped as my eyes finally started to open. Various colors danced in front of me. Reds, yellows, blues, and whites.

"Please...wake up..."

A figure outlined in my vision and slowly became clearer to see.

"Liz..." the voice spoke again. It was a deep voice. A man's voice.

"B-Ben?" I breathed, my voice sounding very weak and strained.

"Yes...it's me." he responded, pressing my hand to something warm.

After a few minutes, my vision was finally clear to see Ben hovering over me with my hand pressed to his cheek. He had a few cuts across his face and his clothes were covered in dirt.

"Ben..." I whispered, trying to lift my head, but winced in pain and lowered it back down to the ground. "My head..."

"Easy there...you hit your head pretty hard. Not to mention you're pretty bruised from that accident."

My mind began to try and figure out what had just happened. We were in the carriage, on our way to Driftwood, then...there were Mercenaries! Then...things went black for me.

I moaned in pain as I shut my eyes, unable to keep them open. "Ben...what happened?"

He took a few breaths before squeezing my hand. "Those Mercenaries shot the driver and the horses took off with the carriage. Something must have caused the horses to break off and the carriage flipped. You were thrown out of the cab and so was I."

I was thrown out of the carriage?! But if I was here...and Ben was here...where was-?

Suddenly I felt my heart sink and my eyes slowly opened again. "Ben...where...where's Emma?"

He glanced over his shoulder and met my gaze again. He looked frightened. "I don't know. I just woke up a little bit ago and found you only a few feet away from me. She...she might still be in the carriage...or in the woods...I...I don't know. Reaver's gone too. Can't find the sorry sod anywhere."

Emma was gone? Reaver too? Then again, I didn't really care about Reaver as much as I did about Emma. But still...both of them were gone!

I tried to get up again, but my entire body felt like someone had beat me with a hammer. Nearly screaming in pain, my body gave out and I fell back down. "We...we have to help them..."

Ben shushed me again, easing me back down. "You're not going anywhere in this condition."

"But..." my voice trailed off when realization hit me. "Ben...reach into the pouch on my belt. I've got a few healing potions in there..."

Ben's hand reached down and rummaged through the pouch until he retrieved the berry colored vile. Uncorking it, he held it against my lips, letting the disgusting liquid that I had grown used to rush down my throat. After a few moments, the soreness in my muscles slowly disappeared and I could feel strength returning to my body. It would be a little bit before the potion finally kicked in, but I was able to sit up. Ben's hand on my back kept me from falling back down and he made sure that I wasn't going to pass out on him.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

I managed to nod as I rubbed my eyes. "Yeah...I think so. You'd better drink some yourself. Give you a little strength."

Ben sighed in relief and took a sip from the vile. "Don't really need it since I'm made of iron." he joked, making me chuckle softly.

"Even after a disaster like this, you still manage to crack a joke or two."

"Hey, someone's gotta be the comedic relief around here."

Soon enough, the pain was nearly gone and I was able to move around freely. My body still was recovering, but at least I was able to think clearly.

My eyes observed our surroundings around us. We were in the middle of a forest. Sunlight barely peeked through the canopy above our heads and there was a foggy mist that surrounded us. This didn't look like Millfields and it certainly didn't look like Driftwood. Where were we?

A deep howl in the distance made my whole body tense up. That wasn't a normal wolf howl that I would hear in the mountains of Mistpeak. No...it was much more...horrifying. A howl that constantly terrified me every time I went hunting or every time I went to sleep.

My blood ran cold and my heart began to pound as I slowly realized where we were.

"Ben...where's your rifle?" I breathed, struggling to find words as they almost died in my throat.

His hand reached behind his shoulder, only to discover that his trusty rifle wasn't there. "I...I must have lost it..." he whispered, horror in his own deep blue eyes.

My heart sunk further into my stomach as my eyes searched around for anything that could come and get us.

We were weaponless. We were lost. We were without Emma or Reaver.

I knew exactly where we were. A place where people went in and rarely made it out alive. A place where only crazy people lived and were able to survive there. A place full of the most horrifying creatures that existed in nightmares and in real life.

Silverpines.

* * *

Oh no...they're in Silverpines! That's not good at all! I would be scared out of my mind if I were them! Will they make it out? Where is Reaver and Emma? What is going to happen? Only I know the answers to those questions lol I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! It took me awhile to write that carriage scene. I'm not used to combat scenes and there's gonna be quite a few in the future. A definite challenge for me!

I'll try to update soon guys! It might be a little bit, but I'll try! I don't wanna leave you guys on a cliffhanger like this, but I can't resist a good cliffhanger! lol sorry. Please review or message me about what you think or if you have ideas! Thanks everyone!


	9. Chapter 9

Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long! Had a very busy summer! Got to go to two different conventions, got a role in a play about the tales of Edgar Allen Poe, and met a really nice guy! So yeah...lots of crazy stuff! haha but I'm back and ready to write more!

Thank you soooo much to everyone who reviewed, followed, and put me on story alerts! I'm so happy to see people are enjoying this!

Please write a review or message me if you'd like. I really want to hear what you guys think of this! If you have any comments or suggestions or you just wanna tell me how Reaver is an arrogant idiot haha then go ahead! I wanna know what you guys think of my writing and this story. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Enjoy! :)

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fable. If I did, then Ben Finn and Reaver would have been people you could have marry in the game. I own Eliza.**

* * *

 **Review Responses: Thanks to all of my amazing reviewers! You guys are awesome! :)**

ChaiHarker: I'm sooooo sorry I ended it like that! I can't help it! I just love cliffhangers! They're so tempting to do!

Guest: haha I loved that! Oh yeah, you know him XD Ben couldn't hate her forever! He's too awesome!

I'msimplyonehellofanauthor074: Thank you so much! You're so sweet! :)

* * *

My heart pounded inside of my chest and I could feel myself breaking into a cold sweat.

What were we going to do now? We were in Silverpines! The territory that belonged to most of the balvarine population. We lost our weapons in the carriage accident as well as Emma and Reaver. We were utterly defenseless.

As if sensing my fear, Ben grabbed my hand. "Hey, it's gonna be okay. We've handled worse things, Liz." He told me.

Trying to calm down my nerves, I looked over at him. "Yeah…you're right. We're just in a forest…one of the most dangerous forests in all of Albion…with balvarines…and we don't have any weapons…"

Ben's hands searched his uniform for anything and came up with nothing. "I don't have any. Do you have anything?"

I searched my pockets and my furry shawl, but I didn't have anything as well. Suddenly I realized something and reached into my boot to pull out a small pocket dagger. "Yes!" I gasped in relief. "Good thing I always wear it inside of my boot."

"Always? Even when you're not in battle?" Ben asked, surprised to see it.

I just shrugged my shoulders. "You never know when you're gonna need one."

"True." He told me as I unsheathed the blade, letting whatever sunlight that creeped through the canopy glare against it. "It's good that you brought it, but how is that gonna take down a huge balvarine?"

He had a good point.

"I don't know, but this is better than nothing." I told him before sheathing it again.

Ben dusted himself off and stood up. "Well we can't stay here forever. The longer we stay here, the more of a chance a balvarine could find us."

"Yeah, and we need to try and find Emma and Reaver."

Ben helped me up to my feet and was relieved that I was able to walk. We ventured off deeper into the woods, hoping not to run into any danger. This dagger was meant to take down a small hobbe or a Hollowman, not a huge six foot tall balvarine!

After a few minutes of walking, Ben rushed over to a small clearing and picked up a fallen tree branch that fit into his hand.

"What are you going to do with that? Use it as a club? They're going to break right through it!" I told him as if he had gone insane.

Ben shook his head. "Pass me your dagger." He said, breaking a few twigs off.

I handled it to him and then he began carving a sharp tip at the end. "I need some kind of weapon to use."

Hmm…a wooden spear. Not too bad, but it still wasn't the greatest weapon choice. At least we had a second weapon.

When he was done, he handed the dagger back to me. "There, this might come in handy."

"Hopefully." I responded, glancing around the woods. "Come on. We've got to hurry before it gets dark. That's when they're most abundant."

That's the last thing we needed to happen.

We trekked through the woods for awhile, trying to be as quiet as we could. One loud noise and we could attract a dozen of those monsters. I was pretty handy with a knife of any size, but I was used to fighting off small wolves and hobbes. Also, to skin the fur off of wolves to give to the dwellers of Mistpeak. Thank you for those lessons, Dwellers.

Ben held the spear out in front of him, almost like a shield. If we weren't in danger, I would probably laugh and tease him for a bit. Probably help him hold it better.

"Hey Liz?" he barely whispered, his blue eyes darting around the trees.

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure…just don't get too distracted." I warned him.

He hesitated for a moment before asking. "What is really going on between you and Reaver?"

My heart dropped. Oh no, he wanted answers. How was I going to talk myself out of this one?

"Wh-what are you talking about?" I asked, trying to play coy.

"Don't try and give me that, Liz. You know exactly what I mean." He shot back, holding the branch tightly in his grip.

I hesitated for a few moments. "Honestly, I have no idea. I mean, it kind of just happened."

"Right out of the blue?"

"Kind of, I guess." I said with a shrug.

"How?"

How could I tell Ben? Emma knew part of the truth, but I didn't want to tell Ben what was really going on. But…I didn't want to lie to Ben either.

Why did I always end up in these predicaments?

I took a deep breath and exhaled it shakily. "It just did. Reaver and I just somehow had this…feeling. So we just followed that feeling to see where it went." I think that made sense. What else could I say?

"What kind of feeling makes you fall for a psycho like Reaver?"

"A very…very…strange feeling." I told him. "Trust me, I never…ever…expected for this to happen." Now that was definitely the truth.

He just shook his head. "You sure you didn't just hit your head or something? Or did you drink that Love Potion No. 9.042? I mean, I know they sell that stuff around Bowerstone but I doubt that stuff actually works."

I giggled at his theories. "No, nothing like that. Just…a very weird feeling."

He just sighed. "I just can't believe that you see something in him. I mean, what quality is good about Reaver? He's a wicked man who taxes the poor and kills innocent people for sport."

I couldn't agree with him more.

"Well…I still don't forgive him for any of that. Trust me, I haven't forgotten any of that." Then I hesitated before continuing. "We're…we're not really engaged by the way."

He stopped walking and looked at me like I had grown another head. But instead of reacting in shock like Emma, he just sighed in relief. "Thank Avo. You really scared me there, Liz."

I blinked in surprise.

"I knew you couldn't have been really engaged to that git." Then he playfully punched my arm. "That wasn't funny, Liz. Playing a joke on me like that, but I can't believe you got him go along with you on that."

"Well…let's just say that he knows how to get under your skin. It was his idea after all."

Ben laughed at me. "Wow…I'm surprised that you went along with him."

Yeah, I'm surprised I went along with that too.

I smiled in response as we continued to walk through the woods. At least he still wasn't mad at me. I guess it didn't really matter if I told him the truth. What mattered was that he wasn't suspicious of me.

But since we were alone, maybe I could get some answers out of him.

"So…you mind if I ask something strange?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Don't you always ask me stuff like that?"

He had a point. Ben and I always had our jokes and strange tales about situations we faced. Whether it was an old military story or something about a drunk stumbling around the local tavern.

"Sometimes, but this one…it's more of a question." I told him, hesitating over what I was about to ask.

"Try me. I can handle it." He told me, tightening his grip on the branch when we heard a rustle in the bushes.

We waited for a few moments before I finally asked. "Do you have any feelings for Emma?"

I could see his body tense up and his blue eyes met mine. But before he could respond, the rustle grew louder, making us jump.

"Liz, get behind me." He whispered.

"You must be joking." I responded sarcastically. "You've just got a branch. I've got an actual blade."

He rolled his eyes. "Come on, let me try and play the daring hero, coming to save the lovely damsel in distress."

I managed to give out a dry laugh. "Oh please, I'm more than a damsel in distress. I'm more of a daring hero in this." I told him, pushing past to hold my dagger towards the bush.

"Oh don't you even-" he was cut off when he heard the rustle in the bushes grow louder, making us prepare for the upcoming battle.

I held my breath and the grip on the blade tightened.

Suddenly a furry figure emerged from the bush and barked instead of roaring.

My heart leapt in my chest and settled when I saw who the beast was. A small black and white beast that walked on four legs instead of two.

"Bandit!" I cried out, dropping my blade before falling to my knees and began ruffling his fur while he covered my face with wet slobbery kisses. "You little scoundrel!" I laughed.

Ben sighed in relief and lowered the branch. "Oh for the love of Avo…it's just Bandit."

I smiled as he barked and licked me again. "You nearly scared us to death. What are you doing out here, Boy?"

He whimpered a little, his ears lowering as his head turned from side to side.

My heart fell at the realization that hit me. "You're looking for Emma."

"But how did he know that she was in trouble?"

"Emma never leaves him at home when she goes on an adventure. He must have chased after the carriage when we left the castle."

"How did he find us?" Ben asked as he glanced around the forest to see if any danger lurked nearby.

"Well…maybe he picked up her scent and he's trying to find her. He ended up finding us instead."

Ben's frown deepened. "We've got to find her. Now."

"What about Reaver?" Not that I really cared about him at this point. I knew he could take care of himself, but he could get eaten by a balvarine for all I cared.

"Forget him! Emma is more important than him!"

Well that was the truth! Not only was she our friend, but she was also the queen!

"Come on, maybe Bandit can lead us to her." Ben told me before ruffling Bandit's fur. "Can you do that Boy?"

He barked happily in response.

"Good boy, find Emma." I commanded before standing to my feet.

Bandit barked again before running off into the woods with us following after him.

He ran a few feet and stopped to sniff the ground. Then he lifted his head and turned his head slowly from side to side before he ran off into the right direction.

"Keep going Bandit!" I called out to him.

"I hope he's not going to lead us into some dangerous place." Ben dreaded as he ran behind me.

"Bandit knows what he's doing! He's not going to lead us into danger!"

Suddenly Bandit stopped with his ears perked up. Then he lowered to the ground and started growling lowly.

"That's not good…" I said hesitantly, stopping behind Emma's faithful companion.

Ben stopped beside me and looked around the area. "What is it? Balvarines?"

"I don't see anything." I whispered as Bandit continued to growl.

Suddenly a few orbs of glowing light appeared in the air and dropped into the ground.

"Oh no…" I dreaded as we watched a few skeletal figures rise from the ground.

"Hollowmen." Ben cursed under his breath.

Three hollowmen started moving towards us, making us take a few steps back. Usually, we would have rifles to fire bullets at them, reducing them to dust, but in this case, we had nothing but a "spear" made out of an old tree branch and a small pocket dagger.

As they drew closer, Ben let out a battle cry before he rushed at one of the skeletons, swinging the spear at it. The hollowman growled at him and swung it's bony arms at him.

Bandit growled and pounced on another one, biting and batting at it with his paws.

As for the last one, it charged at me, causing me to stumble back, holding up my dagger in defense. My leg kicked at it's legs, making it fall for a moment before he sprung back up and tried to hit me with it's arm that was replaced by a thorny club.

This was useless! We couldn't defeat them like this! We needed real weapons!

Before the Hollowman could hit me with it's club arm, his head exploded suddenly, the body disintegrating as well.

My head whirled around to hear a rifle go off and watched the Hollowman that Bandit attacked, explode as well.

What the heck?!

The final Hollowman stopped and turned around, only to be shot in the head, reducing it to dust.

Ben's light blue eyes scanned the area for the skilled shooter. "Who's out there?! Show yourself!"

"Is that any way to treat someone who just saved your life?" a velvety voice asked from on top of a hill nearby. Of course I knew that voice anywhere.

Reaver smirked as he lifted his Dragonstomper up to his lips to blow the smoke away.

"Reaver." Ben huffed. "What a surprise."

"Is that the kind of thank you I should be receiving? I just saved you all from certain death from those dastardly Hollowmen."

Ben glared at him. "If it were anyone else, I would be praising them from the tops of the mountains. But since it's you, I wouldn't even praise you from the deepest hole in the ground."

Reaver tsked us as he slowly climbed down the hill. "So stubborn. You know, you and Lizzie should work on that, since both of you are the most stubborn people in all of Albion."

I rolled my eyes at his response. "Where have you been Reaver?"

Once he made it to us, my eyes scanned over his slightly disheveled appearance. He had a few tears in his elegant white coat and some dirt stains as well. However, not a scratch marred his God-like face. It looked like he was barely hurt at all.

"Oh that blasted carriage threw me out and found myself in the middle of the woods. Thankfully, I wasn't injured." He responded, brushing some dust off his elbow.

I could hear Ben curse under his breath. Pretty sure he was hoping for Reaver to break something or possibly die.

"Anyways, I wasn't that far from the carriage and I found the poor queen pinned under it."

My heart leapt inside of my chest and my eyes widened in shock.

"Why did you leave her?!" Ben exclaimed angrily.

"I was looking for help. The poor girl is pinned under there and she can't push it off alone, even with Hero strength. And I'm not strong enough to lift it off of her." Reaver explained to us. "I offered to stay with her, but she insisted I should go for help."

"Yeah right, I bet you just left her to die so you would be king!" Ben shot back.

Reaver shook his head. "Oh no, my dear Benjamin. I would never make a good king. Too much responsibility."

Yeah, he had a point there. Reaver made his own decisions, not really listening to anyone's option. If he ruled Albion the way that he ran his factory, there would be way more fatalities than they were now. Reaver would make a horrendous king. Probably just as bad as Logan.

"You know, we could be rescuing our glorious queen right now instead of trying to nominate me as king." Reaver pointed out, glancing around the woods. "Unless you want to leave her to be feasted on by a pack of balvarines."

He was right. We had to save Emma!

"Show us the way, Reaver." I told him.

He smirked at me before turning around to lead us the way he came. I glanced at Ben, who shook his head and followed, carrying his homemade spear.

As I followed them, my mind began racing. 'Hang on Emma, we're coming for you.'

* * *

We trekked through the woods for a few minutes, Bandit close on my heels. Reaver barely spoke a word, thank goodness for that.

Ben, however, looked like he was trying to be brave, but I could see fear in his eyes. He must feel helpless right now. Emma was so important to him, not only as a ruler, but also a friend. And after last night, I could see that there had to be more than that.

"How much farther Reaver?" he asked anxiously.

"We're not too far now. It should be right around this hill."

Bandit barked and ran ahead of us, further into the forest.

"Bandit! Wait!" I cried out running past Ben and Reaver.

"Liz!" Ben called.

I ignored his calls and ran after Bandit. He must have caught her scent. I couldn't lose him now.

Bandit darted around the hill and started barking wildly.

Once I came around the turn, I gasped when my eyes landed on the overturned carriage. It was broken and turned on it's side. A few bags lay scattered around the area of the wreckage.

Bandit sniffed around before he disappeared behind the carriage, barking excitedly.

I ran behind it to find Emma's head and shoulders sticking out from under the carriage while her right arm and the rest of her body were being crushed by the weight of everything.

Bandit whimpered as he licked her face.

"Bandit? How did you get out here?" she asked weakly.

He pulled away and whimpered a little louder.

She gave him a half smile. "You're a good boy."

"Emma…" I managed to say.

She looked up at me with tired eyes. "Eliza…." Her face was covered in dirt and a few scratches.

"Are you okay?" I asked, moving closer.

"Yeah, a little sore, but I'm still alive." She tried to chuckle, but ended up coughing instead.

"It's okay." I assured her, dropping to my knees beside her. "We're going to get you out."

She sighed in relief. "Reaver must have found you."

My eyebrows rose up in surprise. "Did you really tell him to come and find help?"

"I know, surprisingly." She said, taking a few breaths. That carriage must be crushing her. "After he found me, I told him to go and find help. He actually offered to stay with me."

This couldn't be the same Reaver we knew and hated. Reaver being…nice? That wasn't even a word in this man's existence! But…Emma wouldn't lie to me.

"Emma!" Ben cried out from behind me, breaking me out of my confusion over Reaver's behavior.

Emma's eyes lit up. "Ben…"

He moved next to me and crouched down. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

His eyes trailed over to the carriage and let out a short laugh. "Still trying to be the strong one."

She chuckled softly before wincing.

"Don't worry, we'll get you out." Ben assured her, pushing the carriage with his arm. It wouldn't even budge.

"Already tried that, Benjamin. This is a two man job." Reaver told him, making Ben grumble under his breath.

"Can you move at all, Em?" I asked.

She shook her head. "My whole body is pinned. I can't even use force push to get this off of me. And my right hand really hurts."

"Can you transport yourself to the Sanctuary?" I asked, holding the hand that was free.

"No, I can't. I feel so helpless…"

I squeezed her hand. "Don't worry, we'll get you out."

Suddenly a loud howl in the distance caught our attention and my blood ran cold.

Ben swallowed. "C-come on, we've gotta hurry." He said before rushing to the front of the carriage. "Reaver, take the back of this. I'll lift up this side and you lift up the other."

Reaver put the Dragonstomper in it's gun holster on his pants before taking his position.

"Okay, on three, we'll lift this up. Then Liz, you need to pull Emma out. Got it?" Ben instructed.

"Yeah, I can do this." I assured, getting into position.

Both of the men slid their hands under the sides of the carriage.

"Okay, one…two…three." Ben counted before they lifted it up together.

Quickly, I slid my hands under Emma's arms and pulled her body out from under the carriage until she was out. "Got her!"

They dropped the heavy carriage back down into the mud, leaving a loud crash to echo through the area.

Emma winced as she lay on the ground.

"Are you okay? Can you move?" I asked, examining her body.

"Give me a second…" she grunted as she flexed her legs. "I think my legs are okay."

"I think you should hurry things up, Your Highness." Reaver told her.

Ben and I shot a glare at him.

"Then stand guard and wait for us." Ben growled. "Emma needs to take her time."

Reaver rolled his dark eyes before he left us to do as Ben said, hopefully.

My gaze went back to Emma. "Take things slow, Em." I assured her.

She nodded before she tried to lift her right hand. A cry of pain left her lips before she slowly dropped it. "Ah!"

"What's wrong?" Ben asked worriedly.

"I think I might have broken it…"

My eyes widened in shock. Broke her hand?!

"Anything else? Can you sit up?" Ben asked softly.

As Emma went to sit up, she grit her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut. "My ribs."

Ben's expression turned to horrified as his hands gently grabbed her, holding her up. "Easy…"

My eyes met Ben's frantically. "What do we do?"

Another howl echoed through the woods again, making my heart race.

"We need to find somewhere to hide. Emma needs help now."

I nodded to him in agreement. But where were we going to go?

"The village might be really far from here. But I think there's a cabin nearby." Emma whimpered. "I helped rescue a villager that was under attack out there."

"Do you know where it is?" I asked, holding her uninjured hand.

She nodded weakly. "If we get out of here, I might be able to figure out where we are."

Ben looked at me. "Liz, you and Reaver search the bags around here for supplies and we'll head out. I've got Emma."

I nodded before standing to my feet. "Can do." I responded, looking down at my injured friend. "Hang in there, Em. We'll get you somewhere safe."

She smiled weakly at me. "I know you can."

Knowing that Ben would care for her, I left them alone. I really wanted to stay and listen to their interaction, but I couldn't focus on their romance right now. We needed supplies and we had to find shelter. Night could be approaching and that's when the balvarines were more abundant and lethal.

When I emerged from behind the carriage, I could see Reaver pacing around, holding onto his Dragonstomper. I frowned as I stalked over to him. "Must you always act so inconsiderate?"

He didn't turn to face me, instead he chuckled to himself. "Would you prefer to be attacked and eaten? Because I wouldn't."

"I'm fully aware of that, but we have a very injured Queen with us."

He glanced over his shoulder at me. "How serious?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. Was he concerned about her? No, it had to be a trick. Then again, he offered to stay with her while he went for help.

"We think she broke her right hand and she might have hurt her ribs."

"Can we go anywhere?"

"Ben might have to carry her, but she said there's a cabin nearby to hide in."

He hummed. "Guess it'll do. You know, if we just went to my mansion, this wouldn't have happened."

I growled under my breath. "Reaver. For a few moments, could you please not be yourself?"

"All I'm saying is that if we went to my mansion, we would have avoided them."

I shook my head at him. "Fine, whatever. You keep thinking that you were the smart one in this and just leave me be. I need to find some supplies to take with us." I told him before going off to see what I could find.

Reaver cleared his throat behind me, making me turn around. He smirked and held up a a medium sized brown backpack.

My eyes widened in surprise. "You found my pack!"

"And this." He said, pulling out a rifle from behind his back. A Shrieking Pilgrim model, to be exact.

"My rifle! But how did you…"

"Ah-ah, a gentleman never reveals his secrets."

I snorted as I reached for my belongings. "You're not a gentleman, Reaver."

He lifted the pack up, out of my reach until I was close to him. "I could be, if you'd let me try." He purred softly, staring into my eyes.

I glared at him before snatching my pack. "That would be like letting a hobbe show how smart it is." I responded sarcastically before grabbing my rifle as well.

Reaver sighed heavily. "You know one of these days, you won't be so stubborn towards me."

"I'm not stubborn." I shot back, putting my bag over my shoulder before I went off to check some of the bags that fell from the carriage.

"I would say that you are. I don't know why you don't have a little trust in me."

I searched through a destroyed bag to find a couple healing potion bottles and put them into my own pack. "Because it's you Reaver."

"And what's wrong with me?"

"Everything." I told him before going off to search the next bag.

Reaver shook his head. "You'll see one day."

'Ha! I doubt that…' I thought to myself. Fighting with him wasn't going to solve anything. I needed to stay focused and search through the rest of these bags. We had to leave soon to find shelter and here I am, as usual, bickering with Reaver.

For the next few minutes, I managed to find a couple of bags that were salvageable. I packed them up with a few food provisions and a few extra weapons that I was able to find. Most of what we brought was destroyed from the accident, but I was able to find some supplies. I even managed to find Ben's trusty rifle. Boy, won't he be happy to have this again!

Reaver stood on duty, facing the woods while he held his Dragonstomper in his hand. At least he was doing something useful. For once.

I walked over to him and held up a bag. "Here, you need to carry one of these." When he turned around to open his mouth, I cut him off. "And no, I'm not carrying this one too. You need to pull your weight and help out as well. I can't carry all of this stuff. So could you please help me out?"

He just smirked. "I was just going to say thank you." He said before grabbing the bag, slinging it over his shoulder.

Oh this man was so infuriating!

Bandit barked before he rushed over to lick my hand. I pet his head and looked up to see Ben carrying Emma on his back.

She smiled weakly at me, holding onto Ben with both arms wrapped around his neck and her injured hand resting against his chest. Ben smiled at me as well as he carried her over to us.

On the inside, I was squealing at the sight. This wasn't probably the kind of image I had for them, Ben carrying an injured Emma, but it was progress.

"We're ready for this!" Ben exclaimed. "Nothing is going to stop us."

I smiled at his excitement and looked at Emma. "Okay Em, where do we go?"

"First we need to find the main path." She explained. "Once we get there, I'll be able to figure out where to go."

Reaver and I led the both of them, our real weapons drawn. Thank goodness I won't have to attack anything with a small dagger and Ben won't have to use that homemade branch spear. Bandit walked ahead of us too to make sure he could sniff out anything bad.

It took us a bit, but we located the main road and Emma was able to figure out where we were. Even if she was still injured, she managed to tell us which way to go.

Ben kept a good eye on her as he carried her though the woods. He made sure to move slowly, avoiding anything that could jostle her around to upset her bones. It made me relieved to know that he was there for her.

Once we made it to safety, we could have time to manage and hopefully heal her injuries. Then we could figure out a plan from there to get out of the woods and back to Driftwood.

My eyes drifted from the path to Bandit to see if he would react to anything that was possibly dangerous. Thank Avo he didn't react to anything. Where were all of the Balvarines at? I haven't even seen one yet! Were they all hiding? Were they watching us as we walked through the woods? My heart dropped at the thought of them plotting together of when to attack. They were monsters like hobbes and hollowmen, but they were smarter. They worked in packs and they used to be humans before they became what they were. Hopefully, my thoughts were wrong and they didn't know we were here.

The five of us continued to walk through the woods as the daylight slowly began to disappear and it began to get darker. We had to hurry.

"How much further, Emma?" I asked her, glancing around my surroundings, my fingers never leaving the trigger on my rifle.

"I think we're almost there." She sighed, resting her head on Ben's shoulder. "The cabin is surrounded by a fence line. But be careful, the balvarines like to stand guard around it, waiting for victims to come out."

I gulped at the thought. "Hopefully, we'll find it soon."

"And hopefully there will be a decent interior. I do hate dreadful common folk homing." Reaver complained.

"We'll take whatever we can find, Reaver." Emma sneered.

"Yeah, we need someplace to stay so we can figure things out. Any place is better than just sitting out in the woods. Those balvarines will just find us sooner." Ben added angrily.

"Fine fine, we'll do things your way." Reaver grumbled under his breath.

I shook my head. "Cool it, Reaver. This isn't the time."

"You people don't really think about what kinds of homes you live in."

"Well of course not. We don't live in mansions like you do. Well…except for Emma. But still…" I told him before shooting a glare at him.

Reaver rolled his eyes again before keeping his eyes on the path.

A few more minutes passed before we finally found the fenced in area that Emma mentioned. Relief came to me as we moved closer to the fence. We finally made it.

Reaver and I carefully climbed over it, looking around for any balvarines that could be lurking around the area. But when we looked, the entire property was deserted. Where were they at? Were they hiding? We should look around, but Emma needed to lay down so we could look at her wounds.

Ben carefully climbed over the fence, Emma clutching onto him tightly as she let out a whimper of pain. "Sorry…" he mumbled to her.

She just smiled weakly. "Don't be sorry, you weren't the one who dropped a carriage on me."

"True." He tried to joke with her. "Maybe next time I'll try to drop a house on you."

She giggled but winced in pain again.

I managed to smile a little. At least someone had some humor during this.

"See anything?" Reaver asked me.

"I don't think so. Where are they at?"

"How should I know?"

"I don't know, I mean, didn't you used to have fancy parties with them? You know, that 'secret society'."

"Ah, well those are the balvarines are from the Millfields area. I would never invite any of the balvarines from this desolate place." He said, rolling his eyes. "I have actual standards."

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you had standards for horrifying and murdering balvarines." I said in a sarcastic tone.

"We'll discuss my lifestyle later on . Right now, we need to get inside."

Oh, was Reaver actually concerned? Nah, probably not. He probably wanted to just sit down and brag some more.

We slowly made our way to the house, checking our surroundings, still not seeing any huge beasts lurking around. The house was a small cabin with a porch. Reaver stood at the bottom of the porch while I climbed up the steps and knocked on the door. Naturally, no answer. Then I cautiously opened the door to check to see if anyone was home.

"See anything?" Ben asked.

"Doesn't look like anyone's been here for a long time." I informed him, walking further into the house.

Since it was still daylight, we could still see the interior of the house. Everything looked untouched and nothing seemed to be damaged. The counters and cupboards were covered in a thin sheet of dust.

Ben carried Emma inside and gently let her slide off his back and onto the bed. She winced a little before she lay her head down on the pillow. "Thanks."

He smiled at her. "No problem."

While they talked quietly, I searched the cupboards for anything. All of the food was rotten, but I found a few bottles of wine and beer. At least Reaver could have something he could enjoy. However, I was able to find some more bandages, healing potions, and a few other helpful items.

Emma moaned softly from the bed. Poor girl.

"I found a few healing potions." I told her, approaching the bed. "They might help."

She smiled weakly in response. "Thanks Eliza. You don't have to worry so much about me."

"Of course we do. You're important to us. Not just as our queen, but as our friend."

"Yeah. We're all here for you." Ben told her before glancing at the window where we could see Reaver keeping guard. "Well…maybe not Reaver."

She chuckled softly. "Probably, but if he didn't find you two, you would have never knew where I was."

Ben frowned. "Don't make me feel grateful towards that old sod."

He had a point. Then again, I highly doubted that Ben would ever like Reaver.

"Don't worry, I won't make you." Emma giggled before letting out another groan of pain.

"Okay that's enough laughing for you for a bit. Gotta take your medicine." I told her as if I was a doctor and uncorked the bottle of healing potion.

Emma drank down the whole vile and closed her eyes. "Thanks for that. I should be feeling better soon. A Hero can heal pretty fast."

"Yeah, well don't be running off into battle for a bit. Rest for awhile and regain your strength. That's an order." Ben instructed with a smirk.

"Yes Sir." She said with a smile.

I smiled at the sight and sighed.

For all the pain and suffering we faced earlier, it was nice to see something good happen. Emma was safe and we were able to find shelter for awhile. We could recover here and then we could leave later on for Driftwood. At least things would be good. For now.

* * *

 **Well they made it to somewhere safe! But how long will they be safe? I guess you guys are going to have to wait until next time! I hope you guys liked this! I'll try to have the next chapter done soon! Maybe around the time of my birthday as a surprise!**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this! Please let me know what you guys think! Review or message me! Thanks guys! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone! I hope everyone had a great holiday! It was fun for me and I got to spend a lot of time with my family and I got to see a bunch of awesome movies. Also, for my big news, I found out that I got a part in a Steampunk play at my old college! I'm so excited to be part of it and I can't wait to get started!**

 **Anyways, back to business. I'm sorry it took so long with this chapter, hit some writer's block for awhile, but I was able to push through it. The next chapter could be awhile depending on how my job is going and my time devoted to memorizing my lines for the play (which there is a lot). But I'll try my best!**

 **Also thank you to my everyone who reviewed or messaged me about the story! I love hearing from you guys about what you think or what I should work on. I really appreciate any feedback and ideas if you have them. Who knows, maybe I'll put one of your ideas in here ;) Of course you would get credit for it! I really hope you'll like this new chapter! Please review or message me! Don't be shy about bothering me, you won't! I always reply to my messages! :)**

 **Enjoy the new chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fable. If I did, then Ben Finn and Reaver would have been people you could have married in the game. I only own Eliza**

* * *

 **Review Responses: Thanks to everyone's reviews! I love reading what you guys think and it's definitely a confidence boost! Thank you! :)**

Belco- haha yeah writing that was literally a last second decision, but I loved writing it! Because it's Steven Fry and John Cleese. Both of them are funny to write when it comes to them!

Dagangstar074- Don't apologize! It's fine, things happen! Thanks for the review!

TheIckleBoots- lol thanks sweetie! I'm really happy to hear you say that! :)

Starfire Tamaran- lol Oh it will! Trust me! ;) Thanks!

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"Thirsty?" I asked Reaver, who sat on the small porch, holding out the bottle of Classy Claret to him.

After making sure Ben and Emma were okay, I thought I should go outside and keep watch with Reaver. It wasn't my ideal way of spending my time, but if it was a way to keep everyone protected, then I was willing to put up with his antics.

He turned around with an eyebrow cocked. "I didn't know you were a wine drinker."

"I'm not, but I suppose it's a little reward for you since you helped us find Emma."

He slowly took the bottle and examined it. "Surprised these dwellers had this." Uncorking the bottle, he held it up to his nose and sniffed. Then he took a hesitant sip. "Hmm…I suppose it's not bad."

I sighed as I sat down on the porch with him, dangling my legs over the edge. My eyes gazed at the desolated area. The sun was almost gone and there still was no sign of any balvarines.

Reaver took another long swig of his wine bottle. "So…how is our lovely ruler doing?"

"She's healing slowly. She should be feeling better very soon." I explained, taking my hair out of the ruined braid. So much for keeping my hair out of my face and looking beautiful.

"Does this mean we'll be walking to Driftwood in the dark?" he inquired, adjusting the goggles on his hat.

Combing my fingers through my tangled hair, I shook my head. "I don't think so. It's turning to night soon and that's when the balvarines will be at their worst. Also, it will be too dark to see anything. There aren't any lamps to light the way."

Reaver sighed, taking another drink. "So what you're saying is, we're stuck here in this…lovely abode."

"Unfortunately, in your case."

He rolled his eyes.

"But, for the good side of this, we've got a place to stay for the night. It might not be the best, but we're safe."

He exhaled loudly. "I suppose."

At least he wasn't complaining now. Then again, he would probably start complaining again very soon.

I rested my head against the post on the porch, slowly moving my legs back and forth. "Sooo…did you talk to Emma at all?"

"Of course I did. Unless you didn't see me conversing with her."

I shot a glare at him.

Reaver understood my action and shook his head. "I did speak with her when she was immobilized underneath the carriage."

"What did you talk about?"

"Oh…while I kept watch for her, I asked her about the latest request that I had mentioned a few weeks prior."

"Let me guess you asked her about your Mistpeak plan."

He smirked. "Of course."

Rolling my eyes, I let out a huff. "Naturally."

"Now now, do you really think I'd discuss that sort of topic with a suffering ruler?"

"I've seen you discuss deals while you continue to shoot at a dying man."

He chuckled lowly. "Oh, I know I do, but in this case, I didn't even think of bringing it up."

Bandit trotted out of the cabin and lay down next to me.

My hand slid through his black and white fur. "If you didn't, then what did you talk about?"

He rolled the bottle in his hands, pursing his lips. "Well to keep her calm, I told her to talk about you and Ben."

I stared at him in confusion as Bandit rolled onto his side so I could scratch his belly. "What kind of things did she say?"

"Well…she talked about how loyal of a friend you are to her. Kind of a rather boring topic." He sighed, earning an eye roll from me. "But it was her explanation about Ben that surprised me."

"Why's that?

"It seemed that she was very worried about his safety. Said she didn't know what she'd do without him. So, I pried a little bit and told her to talk about his qualities."

I blinked in surprise. Was he serious?

"She talked about how brave he was and he wouldn't let anything happen to her."

I definitely knew that was true.

"Did she say anything else?"

He smirked, taking another sip out of the wine bottle. "Oh…I believe I heard her mumble something under her breath. Something about wanting to hand the crown over to me."

I rolled my eyes in exasperation. Bandit made a noise, cause me to chuckle. Sounds like he agreed with me. Reaver was a greedy and arrogant man, and Bandit seemed to know this as well as everyone else.

"I know I know, I'm terrible." He responded a wide smirk upon his lips.

Oh how terrible he was.

After a few moments of silence, I decided to ask that question that had been brewing inside of my mind for the past day or two.

"Umm…mind if I ask something?" I asked hesitantly. It wouldn't hurt to ask, but I needed to know.

Reaver's dark brown eyes met mind as he took another long drink. "What would you like to ask? Because if it's an invite into your bed then the answer is definitely yes."

I nearly threw up in my mouth at the thought. Then I glared right back at him, burning a hole through that 'perfect' face of his.

He knew I wasn't laughing and sighed. "Fine fine, ask your vigorous questions.

Smoothing my hand over Bandit's fur, I took a deep breath. "Last night…before dinner."

"Yes?"

"I said that my name wasn't well known, but you said it was." I swallowed a lump in my throat, before continuing. "My true name."

His dark eyebrows rose in amusement. "Oh you want to know what I know about you."

My heart sank a little. Maybe I shouldn't have asked.

He set down the bottle of wine before pulling his jacket open, reaching inside. He retrieved an old and crinkled piece of folded up paper. Then he held out to me. "Careful with it, I've been saving that for quite a long time."

Hesitantly, I took it and brought it to me. My fingers carefully opened it, crease after folded crease until I could look at it's writing.

My heart plunged into my stomach. My body began to shake as a cold sweat broke out.

The words at the top of the page reminded me of those days of running. 'Wanted for the crime of Treason.' Treason…that horrible word that caused the whole Kingdom of the Albion to turn against us and turn us in if they spotted us.

The printed pictured showed a young woman with long black hair that ran past her shoulders. Her beautiful porcelain face wasn't marred with any scars. Her dark eyes stared right back at me, looking dormant, but I knew that she was screaming on the inside. I knew what lay beneath them.

The name Elizabeth was scrawled beneath the young woman.

I could barely breathe as I stared at the wanted poster. "Wh-where did you find this?"

After Emma was crowned the Queen, Ben, Page, and I made sure to burn all of the wanted posters. To make sure none of us were criminals…or that we wanted to be found.

Reaver just smirked. "Oh you know, some of these posters were plastered on the walls all over my factory. Of course there were posters of all of the rebellion leaders out there, but this one stuck out to me. Thought I should keep this one just in case." Every sadistic word out of his mouth made my blood run cold.

"And I was also made aware of this traitor at one of my parties."

My eyes widened and my hand stopped petting Bandit.

He pursed his lips as if he seemed deep in thought. "Two of my ever so loyal guests informed me that the traitor was their daughter and they were searching for her. Said that they couldn't believe that their daughter would turn against them and run off with the rebels and join the rebellion. Shame, isn't it? To find out that your child has turned into a rebel and ran off to join the group wanting to overthrow the King."

My heart raced inside of my chest. "But he's not the king anymore. The rebellion won and we're not considered criminals anymore. None of us."

Reaver nodded his head slowly. "Lately, they informed me that she supposedly died during the battle between Logan and the rebellion. What a sad way to find out."

This news slightly calmed my nerves but only for a moment. My eyes stayed on his, trying to figure out his motive.

"Care to comment on the situation?"

I opened my mouth for a moment and then closed it. I couldn't lie my way out of this one. I knew I couldn't. Reaver knew the secret that I tried to keep from people for so long. Now the most hated man in all of Albion knew it.

"Come come, you can elaborate. Give that girl's side of the story. I won't tell anyone."

Now that was definitely an understatement.

"I swear." He said, a Cheshire grin crossed his lips.

My heart and stomach dropped at the same time. Could I trust him? Heck no! But…what did I really have to lose?

But before I could say anything, someone cleared their throat. "Um…am I interrupting you two?"

We both looked up at see Ben leaning against the door frame.

"No no, just having a pleasant conversation abut scandals within the kingdom." Reaver casually responded as he took one last sip from the bottle before setting it down. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to peruse the perimeter for anything." He told Ben before meeting my gaze. "I suppose that story will have to wait for another time."

With that, he stood to his feet, taking his Dragonstomper with him as he went on his way to stand guard.

"I still don't like him." Ben told, earning a giggle from me. He sat on the porch near me, petting Bandit's head. "But at least he's pulling his weight around here."

"Yeah, I guess so." I responded, trying to keep my mind off of Reaver's previous conversation. "How's Emma?"

"Oh, she's resting now. Said that she should be better in the morning. She's a fighter."

I smiled at that news. "She always has been."

"Yeah, I think we should take sleeping shifts. That way we can get some rest and we'll be safe.

"Sounds good, I'll take the first watch." I offered.

"You don't have to. You've been through enough."

"So have you." I giggled, scratching Bandit behind the ear. "But I can handle it. Also, I can make sure Reaver won't try to kill you in your sleep."

He seemed distressed for a moment before he exhaled. "Thanks."

We both laughed as we sat there, petting Bandit and watched Reaver slowly walk around the fenced in area.

"Still surprised that he did that for Emma." He sighed.

"Same here." After a few moments, I finally realized the big news I had for Ben and reached into one of the packs we had packed full of supplies from the wreckage. "By the way, I have a surprise for you." I told him, holding up his rifle.

His blue eyes widened in surprise as he took it into his hands. "Where did you find Vanessa?! I thought I lost her in the crash!"

"Well…I didn't really find it. Reaver actually did…"

His smile disappeared. "What?"

"Yeah, Reaver found it when he was scavenging through everything. Said that you should have it back."

Ben was completely speechless. His eyes drifted from mine, to the rifle, to Reaver. "This…has to be some sort of joke. A horrible bloody joke."

I half smiled. "No…it's not really a joke at all."

His eyes stayed on Reaver. "I can't believe he did this…"

"Yeah, he uh…really wanted to return it to you."

"Yeah…" he mumbled. "But I still don't like him. No matter what, I'll still hate him."

Laughing softly, I ran a hand through my bangs. "I know, I didn't say you had to like him. You can just thank him and go back to hating him again."

"Good. I'd rather keep things like that."

We were silent for awhile before Ben spoke up."Umm…remember what you asked me earlier? You know about Emma."

My heart skipped a beat. "Yeah?"

His fingers slowly moved through Bandit's fur. "What made you want to ask about that?"

"Oh…um…well you know."

"No, I don't think that I do, Liz. Is there something that you're not telling me?" he said, furrowing his blonde eyebrows.

"No no!" I told him quickly before pausing. "Um…I mean I just thought…"

"Thought what?" he questioned.

"That there was something going on between you and Emma." I said, trying to choose my words carefully.

There was a long silence between us. His eyes stared at me and his hand stopped petting Bandit. My heart dropped deep into my stomach. 'Oh no…did I upset him again? I don't want to have to apologize twice in one day for my stupid antics.'

"You think there's something going on between me and Emma?" he asked, keeping his expression neural.

I nodded slowly.

Ben blinked before turning his head forward, staring off into space. "Huh," he mumbled. "Didn't think anyone noticed."

"What do you mean?" I asked hesitating.

"Well I mean…how did you come up with that conclusion?"

"Well…I guess, I noticed little things here and there."

"Like what?"

"Well…the way you look at her sometimes. I've never seen you look at someone that way like you do with Emma. Your eyes light up and there's a slight red tint in your cheeks." I explained before giggling a little. "You never looked at Page or me like that. Neither Major Swift or Walter."

He chuckled slightly. "True. Anything else?"

"Well you guys seem to talk a lot."

"I'm the general of the army, of course I talk to her a lot and she's one of my closest friends."

I smirked, knowing that he was making excuses. "Come on, Ben. You can tell me. I promise I won't tell Emma that you fancy her."

Ben sighed heavily before glancing over at me. "Fine, you caught me."

I smiled widely at him. 'Yes! He does like her!'

"I think she's…amazing. I've never felt this way about anyone since Vanessa. She's smart, powerful, funny, and caring. I'd follow her to the ends of the world." He sighed, staring off into the woods. "She means…just about everything to me."

"Then why don't you tell her how you feel?"

His smile disappeared. "Come on, Liz. You know how these things go. She's royalty and I'm a soldier. It's never going to happen. If she rejects me, then she'll put someone else in charge of the military, so she won't have to speak to me. And if she feels the same way, then we'll be forced to stay away from each other since we come from different worlds. Either way, I'm not going to win."

I frowned, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Don't say that, Ben. I'm sure she wouldn't get rid of you. You're the best sharp shooter. Well besides yours truly, but she wouldn't do that to you. And as for that rule, you two can work past it. Look at Emma's parents. The Queen married a commoner. Nobody had any qualms with them."

"That was then, about fifty years ago. A lot has changed. Everyone in the kingdom knows who she is. If they knew we were together…who knows what kind of problems that would create."

"So what?" I snorted. "You can do whatever you want with your lives. I bet everyone would be happy for her, choosing the bravest soldier to be by her side."

He managed a smile. "Yeah, but a misguided ex-smuggler and explorer. Don't tell her about the smuggler part."

I giggled. "Oh I doubt Emma would hate you for that or she would think of you any differently."

"Pretty sure she would. I like to leave those days in my past and move on." He laughed.

I smiled at him. "Yeah, same with me." On the inside, my stomach was still churning over what Reaver showed me. How did he get that?! How did he know about this? What was I going to do?

"Liz." Ben spoke, breaking me away from my thoughts.

"What?"

But his eyes weren't on mine. Instead, they were trained out to the yard in front of us. My eyes slowly moved over and widened in horror as we stared at a huge balvarine climbed over the fence. A couple more followed behind it.

"Go." Ben ordered, grabbing his rifle before slowly standing up from the porch. I followed behind, hearing Bandit growling lowly as he stood. The three of us carefully moved towards the balvarines, getting ready to shoot at them.

But before we could fire any bullets, the sound of a rifle going off echoed throughout the woods before one of the beasts was sent to the ground.

"My my, you're rather late. And you call yourselves hunters of the night. Honestly, you beasts are a poor excuse for a balvarine." Reaver sighed, holding up his Dragonstomper.

'Reaver saves the day again. What luck.' I thought to myself, a sarcastic tone in my inner voice.

Reaver fired another bullet into it's body to make sure it was dead. Then he turned to look at the other ones. "I suggest that you two start firing before I run out of bullets."

Snapping out of my daze, I cocked the rifle before shooting a few at the balvarine nearby. Ben did the same, holding up Vanessa.

The three of us fired a few bullets at the monsters before us. One tried clawing at Ben, but he fired one into it's head. Another one snarled at me before I shot it, making the balvarine stop. Even Bandit rushed over to bite one of them hard with his sharp canine teeth.

It wasn't too long until they all lay by our feet.

For a moment, I thought we had won, but then a loud howl in the distance made my blood run cold.

We turned to see a huge…no massive…not even that! It was an enormous white balvarine that towered over us.

Shaking with fear, I took a step back as the beast moved closer. I could barely even pull my rifle up to shoot it.

Thinking that Ben could do the deed, he was right next to me, moving backwards. "Emma…that's a…"

"I know." I whispered shakily. "Reaver."

The sound of an empty gun sounded off beside me. "I'm out of bullets." Reaver grumbled.

Great. What were we going to do now?

Before the white balvarine could swipe it's massive claw at us, a fireball pelted the beast in the chest, knocking it back a few feet.

My head whipped around to see Emma standing there on the porch of the cabin. "Started the fight without me?"

I managed a smile. 'Boy, what timing.'

The balvarine howled before leaping into the air and moving closer to the house.

Emma yelled as she threw a few fireballs at the monster, singing it's fur a few times.

The beast fell at her feet, letting out a loud growl.

"Alright Em! Way to go!" Ben cheered as he watched the Queen take on the monster.

She smiled for a moment before she cried out in pain and fell to her knees.

Quickly, I rushed to her side to hold her up. "Emma!"

She leaned against my shoulder, whimpering slightly. "Guess that wasn't the best idea."

"No, it wasn't, but you saved us. That's important." I told her, carefully leading her back inside.

Emma winced as I helped her into the bed. "I guess. When I heard the fight going on out here, I had to force myself to get up and help."

"You shouldn't have, but thanks." I said, tucking her in.

"It's no trouble at all. I think I'm starting to regain some strength."

"That's good."

"Yeah, glad to know the Queen is getting better." Ben sighed as he walked inside behind me. "Although, I'm pretty sure we had things under control."

Emma gave him a look that read 'oh really'. "Sure, and that's why I didn't hear any bullets going off. It seems that the general of the army was afraid."

"Afraid?" Ben gasped. "Nothing scares the magnificent Benjamin Finn!"

"Except for a white balvarine." I giggled, earning a playful punch in the arm from him.

Ben sat beside her bed, taking her hand. "Thanks for saving us back there."

She smiled weakly at him. "Anytime."

Knowing that Emma was well taken care of, I sneaked back out to the front porch to resume my seat. The forest was quiet once again. However, several bodies of balvarines lay across the land. Not really the sight I wanted, but at least I knew that we were safe for the night.

"Oh this is just…great. Another tear in my coat. Just what I needed…" Reaver grumbled as he came around the side of the cabin, examining a fresh tear on his left arm.

This made me snort. "Oh shut it, Reaver. Just be glad that it didn't take your arm off."

He rolled his eyes before sitting down on the porch step. "If I had been a tad quicker, I would have shot that beast in the head and stopped it from clawing at my good coat."

"It can be mended, Reaver. Or you can just buy a new one." I suggested, brushing the dirt off my leggings.

"But these were specially made. One of a kind. If we had just gone back to my mansion before, I wouldn't be complaining now would I?" he questioned, shooting a glance at me.

Reaver just didn't know when to stop. Then again and like always, this was Reaver.

"Oh stop being so dramatic." I groaned, shaking my head. "I'll buy you a new one."

"You couldn't possibly purchase it. It's far too expensive. The Queen could with all that money she's keeping hidden away in the treasure vault."

My head rested against the wooden column that held up the porch roof. "Don't even think about taking any of that money." I warned him.

He scoffed. "I can't believe you would think that I would steal."

"Well you steal from the public already. I mean, I have heard that you used to steal."

"Those were the old days of my past. Since I'm an entrepreneur now, I have no need for thievery anymore." He informed me before emptying out the bullet casings from his weapon and then pulling some new ones out of his coat pocket. "Besides, I would never steal from royalty. Why steal from the Queen when I can have my own money to spend?"

Well that was a surprise to hear. Then again, I had heard from Emma that Reaver had been close to the royal family for a number of years.

"However, I do wish that she would use that money for better choices."

I cracked a smile. "Turning the homeless shelter into a brothel isn't a wise choice."

"It would be for some of the public. I know I'd enjoy it."

"Your house is a brothel every day." I laughed loudly. "And don't even say that it's not! I've been to your house and I can tell it is by everyone's…attire."

I can still imagine everyone's revealing dresses and rather short trousers.

A smirk appeared on his lips. "I can still recall your lovely dress. You looked rather fetching in it."

This made me laugh. "Oh, it's not my style. Dresses are not really in my area of dressing myself these days."

Reaver hummed for a moment. "Hmm…these days. Well then it sounds like you wore a lot of them in your past."

My heart sunk. 'Oh yeah, that's right. He knows.'

"Care to continue where we left off earlier? About telling me whatever happened to that lovely Elizabeth girl."

Even though part of me didn't want to reveal anything, I felt that this could be some closure. What could I possibly lose in this? My pride yes, but at the same time I didn't really have much left. If Reaver told people the truth, then they would know. Besides, he knew part of the truth, it was better to get things out of the way now.

"Come come, I won't tell anyone." Reaver swore.

I glowered at him before my eyes cast down to my hands. "I…she was raised in a high class family in Bowerstone. She had whatever she could ask for as a child. The finest dresses, any toy she desired, even got to go to the castle sometimes to visit the Queen and her children."

"Sounds like a wonderful life. The kind of life any child would want."

This made me snort. "Except she hated it. Her parents were always at parties or out on the town. They would leave her with various nannies while they had fun."

"What about her precious toys and dresses? Didn't she want to have her own fun?" he asked, a smirk in his tone.

"One can only play with the same item for so long. Honestly, she just wanted to spend time with her family." I said, idly playing with the muddy fabric of my shirt. "Then when she finally reached a certain age, they started paying attention to her."

"Hmm…sounds like that should have been a shining moment for her."

Another dry laugh left my lips. "Yeah, really shiny." I responded sarcastically. "Their main goal was to turn her into a proper and respectable woman. One who would enjoy life as they did and soon marry into another rich family to join the ranks like them. They just raised her to be like them."

"Well why wouldn't she? Just sitting around doing nothing isn't really enjoying life." Reaver commented, along the sounds of his gun clicking, loading the bullets into the weapon. "As I said before at my party that you crashed, 'when will you people learn to enjoy life'."

Pursing my lips, I glanced over at him. "How can I enjoy life when I can't have any fun at all? Sitting straight up at table and barely speaking isn't fun. Being paraded around strangers that my parents know isn't fun. And certainly not going to parties where they're doing…well whatever you do."

I knew that they went to Reaver's parties. I could always tell when they wore clothing that was a little bit on the provocative side and when they pulled out the masquerade masks. It made me sick, knowing that they were into that sort of thing. The fact that they wanted me to act like them made me even sicker.

"I didn't want that life. Nothing even close to that life." I mumbled, realizing that I was saying myself instead of her.

"Is that why Elizabeth ran away? Because she wanted to escape that life?" he asked me, leaning against the railing on the stairs.

I paused for a moment. "Well it was partially that reason." I replied, rubbing my arms. "She did it because she wanted to do something with her life. Something good that made an effect on life. She wanted to protect those who cared about her."

Bandit joined me on the porch, sitting by my side. I smiled, scratching his head. "So one day, fate smiled down on her. That was the day the princess escaped through the sewers to join the rebellion. She took Elizabeth with her."

"And what happened to her?"

"She joined the rebellion as well. Joined the military under the command of Major Swift. Learned how to use a rifle, which she was a natural at. Saved a few citizens with the Queen. Took on hordes of hollowmen, hobbes, and even balvarines. She even traveled all over Albion and even Aurora." My smile grew with every accomplishment that I had completed.

Reaver was silent for a few moments. "Where is she now?"

My smile fell. "She died."

"Oh dear, what from?" he asked, surprisingly there was a bit of concern in his tone.

"She died during the battle against Logan's army." I spoke softly, remembering that day. "They defeated Logan and Emma took the throne."

"Yes, we all know that…wonderful…story." He responded sarcastically. "But how did she die?"

This rendered me silent. Did I really want to share that part of the story?

"She…destroyed that part of herself on the battlefield to die and was reborn a new soldier." I responded as my fingers absentmindedly played with the brown tresses of my hair. "She dyed her hair, cut it as well. Then she changed her name and moved as far away as she could from Bowerstone."

"And is she happy?" he asked, staring at me. The way he stared made me feel like he actually seemed to care. For a moment.

I managed a half smile. "Yeah, the happiest she's ever felt in years."

Reaver stared for a few more moments before turning his gaze out to the dead corpses of the balvarines. "Interesting story. However, changing your name from Elizabeth to Eliza isn't really making a difference."

This made me roll my eyes. "I liked Eliza."

"Lizzy suits you better." He said , brushing some gunpowder off his pants.

Bandit barked at him.

"See? The mutt agrees with me."

I scratched Bandit's head. "I think he's saying that he doesn't."

He barked again in response.

This made Reaver sneer. "Oh what do you know? You're a dog."

Bandit growled lowly, making me laugh. "Better watch out Reaver, he doesn't back off that easily."

Reaver scoffed.

There was a silence between us for awhile before he finally spoke.

"I'm surprised that you told me that story. I mean, there was no kicking and screaming."

A deep sigh left my lips. "Well…you've sort of backed me into a corner. I mean, you can turn me in now. You have proof that I'm alive. At this point, you can tell my parents the next time they come to your next soiree." Now that moment, I was completely dreading, the day when my parents would show up at my doorstep and force me to come home with them. Back to that life which I hated.

"Now why would I do that?" he questioned, glancing over to give that devilish smirk.

"Because you could collect whatever reward my parents were offering."

He chuckled. "As tempting as that sounds, I have no need for a reward."

My eyes narrowed. "Then what do you want?"

His smirk grew, making my heart plummet. 'Oh no…what did he want?'

"Hey Reaver." Ben interrupted once again when the moment was tense.

Reaver groaned. "What Benjamin? Can't you see that we're speaking?"

"I don't care what you're doing. Frankly, I could care less about about whatever the bloody heck you're doing."

Reaver rolled his you go rest for awhile. "Then what do you want?"

"Why don't you go rest for awhile. I'll take the first watch."

"And why would I do that? Afraid that I'll try to kill you in your sleep?" he teased, making Ben tense up.

"No, I just thought that I should take the first watch. Besides, you really saved us back there…" he said, trailing off. "So you get some sleep first."

I knew that was a complete lie. Ben wasn't completely grateful that Reaver saved us. But the part about him killing him in his sleep, that was definitely true.

Reaver shook his head. "Oh that's fine, Benjamin, I think I'd prefer to stay up and talk to my lovely fiancee."

I shot a glare.

"I insist." Ben growled.

"Ben, it's okay. I can stay up with him." I tried to assure him.

His blue eyes moved from me to Reaver. "Look Liz, I think you need some rest too. I'll take this watch and I'll wake you up in a few hours."

Before I could rebut, Reaver cleared his throat. "That's okay Benjamin. I'll let you have the first watch. Lizzy and I can have the evening to ourselves."

As much as I desired and hated to admit that I wanted to spend the time with Reaver, finding out what he wanted from me, I knew deep down I had to finish up my conversation with Ben. I had to find out what he was going to do about Emma. Besides, this was the one thing that could get Reaver out of my life.

"Um…Reaver, why don't you take a rest for a bit. I'll come wake you up when it's your turn."

He raised a dark brow. "Does that mean I'll be woken by your sweet kisses?"

I shot a glare, making him laugh. "Very well, I'm going. But I expect a kiss."

With that, Reaver left, grabbing the half empty bottle of Classy Claret from the porch before going into the house.

"Aren't you afraid he's gonna get drunk on that?"

"Oh trust me, it takes a lot more than a bottle of wine to make him drunk. He'd have to drink a few bottles before he would start swaying." I laughed. "Besides, I would bet he would be the most classy drunk we've ever seen."

"Yeah, he oozes classiness." Ben responded sarcastically before laughing as well.

Once the laughter died down, Ben cleared his throat.

"Um…so whatever we were talking about earlier…"

"Yeah?"

"Uhh…you think I should say something to her?"

Lacing my fingers together in front of me, I leaned forward. "Well…I think you should. Keeping those feelings bottled inside of you isn't a good thing. The more you keep it inside, the more stressful you'll feel about telling her. Especially if she ends up finding someone else, it'll be like…like…"

"Like what?"

I searched my mind to find a good idea to relate it too. Then my eyes landed on one of the balvarine corpses. "Like a balvarine inside of your heart, ripping it from the inside out."

Ben burst out laughing. "That's a terrible analogy."

I elbowed him in the side. "Hey, give me a break. I couldn't think of anything else."

Smiling, he ruffled my hair. "Don't worry about it. I get what you're trying to say. I just don't know what's going to happen."

"Hopefully something good." I told him, pat his shoulder this time.

Then he pulled me into a hug. "Thanks Liz."

"Anytime." I responded, with a smile, hugging him back.

* * *

 **Well? Quite a shocker huh? Now we finally know Eliza's biggest secret! But will Reaver keep it a secret? What could he possibly want? Also we know how Ben feels! What will happen when he says something? Sadly, you'll have to wait until next time! There's still much more to happen. This chapter was hard to write at times, but I enjoyed writing all of the banter and Eliza's secret! I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter! If you have anything to say about this chapter or story, just leave a review or send a message to me. Also, if you have any ideas, you're welcome to share them. I appreciate any feedback! I'll try to get the next chapter done, but like I said, my schedule is gonna be crazy over the next three months. But I'll try! Until next time guys! Thank you!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey everyone! Hope you're all doing good. Sorry it took so long, but my job and theater practice was taking up all my time. The play just ended, which went pretty well, and now I'm back to having free time outside of my job lol Also I've been working on my other stories on the side. Check them out if you can! :)**

 **Okay, away from me, I'm sorry that this chapter was a little shorter than my usual ones, but I felt I left it at a good part. Trust me! Loved writing it! Please review or message me. I love hearing what my readers are thinking of this story and to hear if they have any ideas. Trust me, I do listen to them.**

 **Just wanted to give a little shout out for one of the ideas used in this. Thank you Lodre for your ideas! I'll probably be using more of them down the road! Thank you to all of my reviewers and the people who added me! I'm glad to hear that! I hope you guys like this new chapter! Enjoy!**

 **Note: I do not own Fable, if I did then you could have married Reaver or Ben Finn in the game lol**

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 **Review Responses:** Thank you to everyone who reviewed in the last chapter! I'm glad you're all enjoying this story!

gypsygem16- Aw thanks sweetie! Ooo I like the M'Lady! lol

whyamIupsolate- Yay! You're back! Awww thanks sweetie! Ohhh I like the sounds of that! We need to talk about it soon! Of course! I will let you know! Like right now lol

Limpid Niveous- haha oh my gosh that made my day! Reaver would be hilarious as a cat! Might not happen, but now I've got the mental image of him as a cat haha

rachil- Glad to hear that! I hope you'll like what is coming soon!

LuciferLovesMehh- Thank you! You have no idea how happy that made me feel! I'm so glad to hear that! That was my goal and it seems I've accomplished it! Thank you so much! You're an absolute sweetheart! :)

* * *

By the next morning, we were all fully rested and on the go. Emma was finally healed and was the first one ready to leave. We all ate whatever food we had on us for breakfast, which consisted of a few bags of various crunchy nuts and an apple that Ben gratefully cut into equal slices for us. Once we finished, we were off. Hopefully this time, we wouldn't run into anymore trouble.

Even though the sun was out, the forest was still slightly dark and foggy. The smell of pine and dew drops filled the air as well as the sound of birds and bugs chirping. It was a beautiful, yet deadly scene. To think hundreds of balvarines lived here.

"So do you think we'll have enough bullets for the battle when we get to Driftwood?" I asked, adjusting the rifle in my hands.

"I think so, but if not, I guess we'll just have to use brute force." Ben chuckled. "Kick them off a cliff if we have to."

"They make such odd sounds when they fall." Reaver commented.

His comment made me snicker. "Yeah, they do." It was true. Those little hobbes always were kind of funny. Deadly, but funny. If someone killed the leader of the cluster, the rest of the hobbes would run away screaming until they would fall off a cliff or they would faint at the sight of the enemy.

He turned to shoot a smirk at me. "See, she thinks I'm utterly hilarious."

My cheeks warmed under his gaze. "Don't get your hopes up." I snapped.

My mind was still trying to figure out last night's conversation with Reaver. He knew exactly who I was and my darkest secret was now exposed to him. Then he had me tell my story and he…didn't make fun of it or judged me. Well…besides my name. But this still shocked me. What exactly did Reaver want?

Money? No, he had plenty of it.

A way to get on Emma's good side? Well, that might happen since Reaver was so eager to have Emma sign off on any of his proposals. However, Reaver had his ways of getting into people's minds.

My heart sunk as another thought entered my mind. Me?

Well…Reaver has always flirted with me, but then again, who doesn't he flirt with? It's Reaver, the flirtatious and murderous entrepreneur.

"If we find the village, we can buy some more." Emma informed us. "It shouldn't be too far from here."

"Does that mean we can get some decent food?" Ben questioned. "No offense to the nuts and apple slices, but I'm getting really hungry."

"We'll get something to eat as well. Don't get all worked up about it." She giggled, scratching Bandit's head as he walked beside her.

"I'm not all worked up about it. I'm just hungry. I can be hungry, can't I?"

"No Ben, you have to be full every minute of every day." I laughed, clapping him on the back. "No complaints."

He rolled his eyes at me before messing my hair up. "Oh shut it Liz, you love food almost as much as I do."

"Yeah, but I don't inhale it as fast as you do."

Emma laughed, picking up a stick from the ground and then threw it off into the woods for Bandit to fetch. "Don't worry you two; we'll get something to eat when we get there."

Reaver huffed off to the side. "It had better be some sort of delicacy that can be ingested and is editable."

"You'll survive Reaver." I assured him, slowly moving to the back of the group to whisper. "If it's poisonous, you'll be the first to try it."

He tsked me. "So desperate to want me dead. You know, I can always take you with me. After all, lovers share their food with each other."

I rolled my eyes and gagged slightly. "Very funny."

It wasn't long until we located the small fort-like village that was encircled by a very large fence. Of course they needed it to protect themselves from the balvarines.

We entered the village, only to be surrounded by supporters who were more than eager to see Emma. She greeted them and was whisked away to shake hands with everyone. Not to mention a few hugs from women and children. Also, a sloppy hug from a very drunk individual, which was pretty hilarious for Ben and I. It was comforting to know that we were with people who respected Emma.

Reaver, however, got a few glares and scared looks from the citizens. He pretended to ignore them or even gave a wicked smirk or two. Of course, he was Reaver, one of the most hated men in Albion.

The villagers were more than happy to provide us with food and supplies for the rest of the journey, which we were eternally grateful for that.

We rested for a bit, eating a few more appetizing foods while several villagers continued to praise Emma for her courageous and generous behavior towards her people. Ben smiled as he watched this unfold.

"See what I mean, she's amazing." He sighed, leaning against a post that held up The Werehouse general store.

I matched his grin. "Yeah, I do." My mind began trying to think of a few ways to get them to spend time together. I didn't really get to see them talking last night, so I wasn't sure what they discussed. However, I could try to let them have some time alone, with supervision.

"Why don't you go over and say something?" I suggested, nudging his arm.

His eyes widened. "I'm not going to confess my feelings right now." He whispered harshly, keeping his eyes on her to make sure Emma wasn't listening.

"I'm not saying tell her now, just go over and say something."

"Like what?"

Pondering over this, my mind raced with various ideas to help him. My eyes caught a bag filled with different foods that that villagers gave us. Quickly, I searched for something and pulled out the first item I touched.

"Here! Offer her this!" I exclaimed, holding out whatever I had to Ben.

His blue eyes glanced down at the item then met my gaze before letting out a short laugh. "That?"

Peering down at my hand, I realized that I had grabbed a celery stalk. "Yes…"

"I'm not offering her that. Celery isn't romantic."

Rolling my eyes at him, I let out a huff. "It's not supposed to be romantic. It's just something to start a conversation with her."

"She'll laugh at me." He whined.

"All the more reason to do it. You two joke around all the time." I pointed out. "Just try it and talk about stuff."

He hesitated for a moment before taking the green vegetable.

"And it's good for you too." I reminded him.

"We'll see how good." He murmured as he slowly made his way over to Emma.

Taking my spot against the wall, I began to watch it all unfold. Ben was able to get her attention and just like he said, she stared at the celery when he offered it and burst out laughing. Ben sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and said a few words that I was unable to hear. Emma giggled cutely before taking the celery out of his hand and then pretended to hit him in the head with it. Ben laughed at her, giving her a playful push.

The whole scene made me smile. Those two were almost perfect together. The almost part was because of Emma's powers and being a Hero. Other than that, they both were skillful with a weapon and they were brave during the toughest of times. Not to mention, they had a keen sense of humor and a thirst for adventure. And of course, they both had compassion for others. As I've said before, they were made for each other.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Reaver wearing that all-too-familiar smirk, except his eyes weren't on me. They were on that drunken villager who hugged Emma when we arrived.

Reaver started to move closer to the man and turned to bump into the man, as if it were an accident. The force of the bump sent the man stumbling forward until he knocked Emma onto the ground with him straddling her hips.

The drunken man laughed while Emma stared up at him in surprise. The second the man started to attempt to grind his hips and made lewd comments, Ben was there in an instant and hauled the man to his feet. While the general threatened the dazed man, Emma slowly got to her feet and tried to calm Ben down, convincing him not to shoot the man. Meanwhile, Reaver slowly walked away, that smirk still upon his lips.

Quickly, I rushed off after him. "Oy! Reaver! What was that?"

He continued to walk away, chuckling softly. "Trying to get my attention, dear Lizzie? How interesting. You want to stay away from me and yet you're wanting my attention."

"Oh don't you even start with me." I growled before cutting him off before he could walk any farther. Now in front of him, I placed my hands on my hips.

He noticed and mirrored my actions. "Oh…this must be serious, putting those delicate hands on those voluptuous hips."

With the urge to roll my eyes, I managed to hold myself back. "What was that about?"

"What was what about?"

"Oh don't play games with me, Reaver. I'm not in the mood."

"Oh, but games are so much fun, Lizzie."

"Not when they're with you, Reaver." I shot back.

He tsked me. "Oh you're no fun. Now, what exactly are you talking about?"

"I saw what you did back there."

"Saw what? All I was doing was walking."

I held a finger up to his face. "You pretended to trip and fall into that drunkard over there so he would fall into Emma. You ruined the moment."

Gingerly, he pushed my hand away from his face. "Moment? What moment? All I saw was the two of them laughing at a stalk of celery. Not really sure why that would be funny, but still it's not something that I would call a moment."

Lowering my arm, I rolled my eyes. "You don't understand. Besides that, you tried to ruin it."

"Do you have proof that I did?" he questioned.

"I saw you do it."

"Are you sure? Are you sure I didn't just trip and fall against that…sullen drunkard. I mean, accidents happen."

I opened my mouth to say something, but he cut me off again.

"Do you have any solid proof?"

The words that I was going to say died on my tongue.

The devilish smirk appeared on his lips. "No, it seems not. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some business to conduct."

With that, he spun on his heel and waltzed away.

That was no accident. Reaver never tripped. The man practically floats gracefully across the floor. I knew he was lying. But why would he do that? We're supposed to be helping Ben and Emma come together, not pull them apart. What was Reaver up to?

Eventually, Ben calmed down and the drunkard was far away from him and Emma. But sadly, Emma was slightly distant from Ben. Perhaps it had to do with the anger she saw in his eyes. Ben could be kind of scary when he was. Hopefully, the tense moment would pass.

We all thanked the villagers for their hospitality and left the village with our bags packed. Ben led us through the woods with the rest of the group trailing behind him. Bandit stayed close to Emma so she could scratch his ears. Reaver never spoke much on the way out. I'm pretty sure that he was very satisfied with himself over what he did. I don't care if he says that I need proof. I know Reaver.

I jogged over to Ben, wanting to check on him. The adrenaline from his outburst must be still going on.

"Ben? You alright?" I asked hesitantly, trailing behind him.

"No, of course I'm not. I…I ruined it…" he grumbled. "Stupid…it's all my fault…"

"What was?"

"I lost my temper back there…"

"Oh…I saw. But it wasn't completely your fault. I mean, that drunkard is the reason why. You were trying to keep her safe."

"Well she didn't think that way."

"I'm sure she knows you tried to mean well."

Ben grumbled something under his breath.

"Just give it a little bit of time and you can apologize later for it." I tried to assure him, patting his shoulder. "Everything will be okay. She's seen you angry like that before."

"But that's when we were in the midst of battle and whenever I was aggravated with Logan or…" he trailed off, glancing at Reaver. "Him."

Well who wouldn't be aggravated with a guy like Reaver?

"Still, she'll understand and forgive you, Ben. She can't stay mad at you forever. You're one of her closest friends."

Ben didn't respond as he continued to walk.

Frowning at this, I bowed my head. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything."

"I keep pushing the subject on you."

Ben sighed before patting my shoulder. "You're just worried. It's fine. Don't apologize for trying to be a friend. You're doing good."

"Thanks…" I mumbled, lifting my head to smile weakly at him.

"Don't worry. Like you said, she'll eventually forgive me."

Well, at least he was trying to keep his hopes up. I just prayed that this sort of thing wouldn't happen again.

* * *

Within a couple of hours, we finally reached the entrance leading to Driftwood. It had been a long and perilous journey, full of danger and exhaustion. But then again, in this world, the unexpected was inevitable.

"Finally! Two days later…" Ben announced sarcastically when we stopped walking. "Hope there's a village left to save."

"There will be." Emma assured him. "They might not have much, but they're fighters."

"Oh I'm sure they are." Reaver spoke up. "Tree branches and farming tools make such fine weapons. They're probably just dancing and singing about their victory…buried underground with the other dearly departed."

That earned an elbow to the side from me. "Knock it off, Reaver. You could try being a little sensitive, but then again; you don't have a sensitive bone in your body."

"Oh…perhaps deep down..." he started before leaning over to press his lips against my ear. "Deeeep down…there may be one bone that harbors a little bit of sensitivity." Then his arm snaked around my waist. "We can always try to explore that notion."

Gagging a little bit, I pulled away. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure my foot will find that bone and crush it."

He chuckled before nudging my side with the muzzle of his weapon. "Oh you would love to get close to it, wouldn't you? It sounds more like an excuse to get closer to me. Just like that night in the cupboard." He purred softly.

Thank goodness Emma and Ben were far ahead of us, not noticing this moment between us.

"You should have never been there in the first place." I sneered, pushing the rifle away.

"But I was." He said, stepping closer, invading my personal space. "And it was a…cramped but glorious moment. To be close to you like that was…exhilarating."

My lip twitched as his warm breath blew in my face. "Until I kneed you where it counts."

His smirk faltered. "Yes, that was rather…unpleasant…"

"For me, that was exhilarating." I taunted in the same condescending tone and with a wicked smirk on my own lips.

He stared at me for a moment before taking a step towards me. "So you're sadistic kind. You like to cause pain."

"Only someone who deserves it."

"So I deserve it?" he asked, pressing a hand to his chest.

My eyebrows rose a little. "Possibly."

Pursing his lips, he leaned in closer. "Mmm…can't say I've ever had someone inflict pain on me. Is this the side that you don't show often?"

"It might."

Humming lowly, Reaver took another step forward. "Could that pain turn into pleasure?"

Without really thinking of it, I blurted out. "Well…it would be my pleasure."

This made Reaver's smirk grow. "Naughty. Perhaps, we could try that later on. Travel back to my mansion after the battle and have a little nightcap, depending on when we get back. Then…go up to my room and you can show me that pleasure you're going on about. How does that sound?"

I could feel my cheeks heating up at the closeness and the words that he was saying. Normally, I would have cut him off and kicked him in the shin, but I couldn't find the words to retort. Was I actually considering this?!

"Oy! You two lovebirds done flirting yet?" Ben yelled, breaking the tense moment between us, making our eyes glance over to see Ben and Emma waiting. "Come on! We've got a village to save!"

Coming to my senses, I managed to look back at Reaver, who was still smirking. "Well? Would you like to come by?"

Mocking his smirk, I leaned in closer. "Never going to happen, Reaver."

With that, I spun on my heel and strutted away.

"Were you two going to snog back there?" Ben asked, nudging my arm. "Because if you were, wait until I'm out of sight at least."

Rolling my eyes, I hit him in the back of the head lightly. "Oh shut up, Ben. We weren't going to snog."

Emma giggled as she scratched Bandit's head. "I have to agree with Ben, I wouldn't want to see that either."

"We weren't going to do anything like that." I snapped, continuing down the path towards bridge.

"Ohhh someone's a little defensive." Ben teased, catching up with me.

"I'm not defensive."

"Suuuure you are, Liz." He responded, patting me on the shoulder. "Save that anger for the battlefield though."

"Oh don't worry, I will." I assured him with a sarcastic chuckle, still a little upset about his joke.

What in the world was I thinking? Was I really flirting with Reaver back there? I never did it before so why now? Was I just caught up in the moment? No! Of course not! I never did that! Whenever Reaver would flirt or invite me to his room, I would just brush it off and walk away.

He was just toying with me! Like always! First he was tricking me into thinking that he didn't try to trip that man in Silverpines, which he did. Now, he was flirting with me and getting me to flirt back. What was he up to? Definitely not anything good.

At this point, I shouldn't let my guard down at all. Who knows what he could do.

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 **Ohhhh Reaver is up to something! And Eliza flirted back! What is happening?! Well you'll all have to wait until next time! The flirting scene at the end was my favorite part to write at the end! lol Thanks again Lodre for helping me with ideas for this chapter! You're awesome!**

 **If any of you have any comments to say about this story, let me know. Or if you have any ideas for me, just let me know. I always listen to them and who knows, maybe your name will pop up. I'll try to get the next chapter done soon! It's gonna be a tough one since it's out of my comfort zone to write fight scenes, but I'll do my best! See you next time!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey everyone! Hope the summer is going well for you all! Sorry for the wait, had to finish up my job for the year before summer started. I got to go to my favorite convention and cosplay and I also got a summer job in a library. Other than that, I was able to update one of my stories after two years of writer's block! So yeah, things are going pretty well on my end.**

 **I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter! It was definitely a challenge for me, especially since I've never written any long battle sequences, but it had to be done and I think I did a pretty well done job. Please let me know what you think! I want to improve my writing and I want any advice that can help me become a better writer, especially when it comes to describing something. Enjoy everyone!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fable.**

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 **Review Reponses:** Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You're all amazing for letting me know what you think! Also it gives me a good confidence boost!

 **Whyamiupsolate-** haha thanks! Well here's your next one! :)

 **Bloodassassign04-** haha you'll just have to wait and see! Yay! Glad you liked it! Loved it too!

 **LoS-** Oh gosh, you nearly scared me there for a moment. haha but I'm happy to hear you say that. I'm a huge fan of the series and I love playing the game! I even check the game to make sure I've got everything correct. Even bought the soundtracks for the games recently!

 **The True Hero of Skill-** Don't worry! You will lol

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The five of us ventured across the long bridge that led to the nearest island full of caravans. Not a single soul was walking around. No laughing or talking from any of the villagers.

Whenever Emma and I had visited this village the first time, the islands were completely barren and nobody was living there at the time. The islands were taken over by hobbes the first time and we had to go in and exterminate all of them so the people could move onto the islands and let their village grow.

Now…it felt like a ghost town. An abandoned village just like before.

I could see the worry in Emma's eyes. She walked into the small circle, scanning the area for anyone. The village was eerily quiet, a little too quiet for our liking.

Suddenly, a gunshot went off near us, sending a ringing sensation into my ear. Whirling my head around, I saw Reaver holding up his Dragonstomper, smoke drifting away from it.

"What the Bloody heck are you doing, Reaver?!" Ben exclaimed angrily, covering his ears.

"What? I was simply setting off some sort of alarm to bring everyone out of their hiding spots."

"We want to show that we are here to save them, not make them fear us too!" I scolded.

Reaver just shrugged. Clearly, it didn't look like he cared at all. Not that he ever did.

Surprisingly, a few villagers emerged from their partly destroyed caravans. They seemed frightened at first, probably from Reaver's stupidity, but once they saw Emma, their faces lit up.

"It's the Queen!"

"She's here!"

"We're saved!"

"Thank goodness you're here! We were worried you forgot about us."

Emma smiled as they rushed to her side. "Of course not! I'm sorry that I was delayed on the journey here. Rest assured, we are here to help exterminate the problem."

The villagers cheered excitedly.

One of the tall skinny male villagers stepped out. "Allow me to escort you to where they live."

Emma nodded as she and the rest of our group followed behind him. The man led us across one of the bridges and stopped at the edge.

"The hobbes just showed up unexpectedly. They're all hiding around this island and they attack mostly at night. You have to stop them!" the man begged. "We've already lost some of our families."

"Don't worry." Emma assured. "We'll take care of this. You just tell the rest of the village to hide until it's safe to come out."

The man nodded before rushing back to the other villagers.

Emma faced us. "Is everyone ready?"

"I was born ready." Ben bragged, cocking his rifle. "Practically had a rifle in my hands the moment I came out of the womb."

"Same here." I agreed, pulling out my own rifle.

Reaver just huffed. "I suppose. Not sure why I agreed to this task…"

Naturally, I rolled my eyes at this.

"Let's go then." Emma announced before stepping foot on the island with an enormous rocky hill to climb.

Reaver cursed under his breath as we started to climb the winding and steep path. It was a long and tiring exhibition, especially when we had to boost each other up to the next level when we reached a higher ledge. Then of course, Reaver complaining that he was tired and it was above him to do this. Me, being the only motivator for him, threatened to throw him off the cliff.

I wasn't really in the mood to cause physical harm. Mainly because of our odd conversation earlier. I was still mentally hitting myself for flirting back. Wait! Was I flirting? I wasn't really sure, but as my mind went back over every detail…I was starting to believe that I was. But why? How? At this point, I had not the slightest idea.

Eventually, we made it to the top of the hill and we were armed and ready for battle.

Ben and I had our rifles drawn, Reaver had his Dragonstopmper ready, and Emma had her giant hammer slung over her shoulder. She had enough time to go to the Sanctuary to get the bigger weapons and grab some extra provisions. Even Bandit had his little battle stance.

The area looked abandoned and not a creature was in sight.

"Where are they?" Ben muttered, glancing around.

"Hiding?" I suggested, moving slowly ahead of the group.

"Probably feasting on the flesh of those citizens elsewhere." Reaver droll off to the side, not a care in his tone.

We turned our heads to stare at them with malice in all of our eyes.

"What? I'm sure we're all thinking the same." He asked, shrugging his shoulders.

"You're the only one who is thinking that. Try to stay positive." I informed him.

"I am. I'm positive that they're feasting upon the flesh of the fallen villagers and now they're waiting for their next victims to fall prey to their appetite. In other words, us."

At this point, I'm fairly certain that we all silently agreed to each other that Reaver would be the first to be left for a sacrifice.

Ignoring the urge to scold him, I went back to scanning the land.

Bandit walked a few steps ahead of me before stopping. Suddenly, a growl erupted from his snarling teeth and his ears moved back. Oh no…

Several bushes jumped into the air, sprouting arms and legs before a few heads poked out of the top. Hobbes! They shrieked before landing on their feet.

Immediately, we began firing at the horde of little hobbes. Only a couple of them went down while the rest continued to charge towards us.

Emma did a quick tuck and roll to the side before smashing her hammer into one of their skulls.

Ben fired a few bullets as he ran through the horde, giving a loud battle cry. Naturally.

Reaver effortlessly glided through the hobbes, successfully shooting a few of them down.

As for me, I aimed and fired, taking out as many as I could. All of that special training from Sir Walter, Major Swift, and Ben paid off. To think almost a year ago, this sort of behavior would have been unacceptable in my home. But now, I was a skilled fighter and had come a very long way from where I started.

One bulky looking hobbe waddled towards me and swung its massive club at my head. I managed to roll out of the way and quickly fired a bullet into its head. It fell back and lay completely still.

"Nice one, Liz!" Ben cheered, while he fought off one that tried to grab his leg.

As I moved across the battlefield, I could see Emma out of the corner of my eye. She was mowing down groups of them with that big hammer. Wish I could have the strength of a Hero.

The cluster of hobbes made their way towards the both of us, we locked eyes and nodded. Emma jumped in front of me, giving the hammer a mighty swing, sending several of the hobbes into the air. While they spiraled up, I aimed my rifle and shot them. The monsters rained back down, motionless and dead.

"Nice teamwork!" Emma quickly told me before rushing back into battle. I know I could always count on her.

The battle continued, all of us doing our part to rid them. However, it seemed that when we killed one hobbe, two more would show up. Why were there so many?

I managed to shoot one between the eyes and watched it collapse.

"I have to say excellent shot, Lizzie." Reaver managed to say as he moved backwards, firing at the cluster.

I mockingly gasped. "Was that a compliment, Reaver?"

"I can compliment people!"

"The only thing you compliment is yourself, Reaver!"

"Well why shouldn't I? I am one of the best!"

"Yeah right." I replied sarcastically.

"Well I am! After all I've been called the Hero of Skill before!"

This made me snort as I shot another one in the gut. "Comparing yourself to the Hero of Skill is like comparing a balvarine to a human! Nothing in common! The Hero was and still is the best that ever was besides Queen Sparrow! He's dead, but he's still the best!"

"You don't know if he's really dead, Lizzie!" he called out as he took a few steps back. "Nobody really knows what happened to the Hero of Skill!"

"Sure…like you know everything, Reaver!"

Suddenly I backed into something, making me turn my head to find Reaver standing right behind me, his back pressed against mine.

"Trust me, dear Lizzie, I know more than you could ever know." He responded slyly. "Duck now."

Staring at him in confusion, I didn't understand what he meant until he pushed me out of the way before shooting down a hobbe that seemed to be making its way to us.

Reaver smirked down at me. "You're welcome."

Before I could retort, a few gurgles sounded, revealing that we were surrounded.

A normal man would have either given up to be killed and eaten by them or fight back until they died from running out of bullets or clumsily missing a few targets.

But this was Reaver and I. We could take them all out at once. So that's what we did.

Back to back, we fired several bullets at our enemy, knocking them down one by one. Surprisingly, we were working very well together.

Out of the corner of my eye, I managed to see Reaver shoot one bullet through two of the hobbe's skulls.

"Now that's what I call a perfect shot!" I cheered with excitement.

"Why thank you! I believe that was an actual compliment."

"Don't get used to it, Reaver." I sneered before shooting at a rather fat hobbe that wore a spiky helmet.

Reaver chuckled as we started moving in a circle, never leaving each other's backside. "Oh I do hope to hear more soon. After all, you did say something about coming to my room later."

That made my heart sink and my eyes widen. "I never said that Reaver!"

"Are you sure? I was certain that you wanted to be there, giving the pain for your pleasure."

"I never agreed to anything, Reaver! This isn't the time to talk about that!" I yelled at him, my cheeks warm and possibly a shade of red.

"I think it's the perfect time to talk about it." He chuckled darkly.

Now I was just getting really annoyed and angry with him.

"You know what, you can just go-"

Suddenly a hissing sound broke off our argument and we both looked to the side to see another fat hobbe with a helmet, holding a massive bomb. It was already activated, only a few moments before it would blow.

Something grabbed my arm and pushed me off to the side, making me fall to the ground as I heard the kaboom and felt the ground rumble. Through the dust, I could barely see a thing.

My hands moved around, trying to find my weapon. My fingers managed to brush over something metallic. When I pulled it over to me, my eyes widened as I stared down at Reaver's Dragonstomper. Did he drop this?

Before I could call out his name, a maniacal laugh exploded near me, making myself sit up and grab onto the legendary weapon. At least I had a weapon.

My eyes searched through the dust, trying to find the monster. My heart beat quickly as the sounds around me practically echoed through my ears. I could hear Emma and Ben grunting as they fought; Ben's rifle going off and Emma's hammer smashing into the hobbe's squishy exterior. A few hobbes laughed in the distance or right next to me.

My eyes prickled as I slowly stood to my feet. Where were they?

As my body turned to the left, a fat hobbe burst through the dust, lunging right for me. My finger pulled the trigger before I could even think. The power of the weapon pushed me back while the bullet shot right through the goblin like creature. The hobbe let out a strangled yelp before he was sent backwards until he fell off the cliff behind him.

Once it was gone, I looked at the weapon in shock. Wow, no wonder Reaver liked this so much.

Before I knew it, I was firing bullets from it so fast. Hobbes went down so quickly that I was taking out so many within seconds.

"I don't appreciate you using my sacred weapon!" Reaver yelled out.

My eyes glanced over to see Reaver fighting off hobbes with my rifle.

"I want it back!"

"You'll have to wait your turn! I'm kind of busy using it right now!" I shouted back before shooting down a hobbe that waddled towards me.

"I demand to have it back!"

"Not now, Reaver!"

"Will you two just shut up and focus on right now!" Ben scolded us before tucking and rolling over to avoid being cut in half by an ax.

"Tell him that!" I blamed, glancing over in Reaver's direction to see him shoot a dirty look at me.

"Everyone just stop arguing and keep fighting!" Emma shouted before spinning the hammer around to smash it into a few of the hobbe's faces.

We all kept fighting back against never-ending army of hobbes until we could hear a few gleeful laughs and familiar hissing from earlier.

Before I could even move, an explosion went off behind me, sending my body forward and a crack to my skull.

Suddenly everything went black.

* * *

A very hard pressure on my arms woke me up. My vision was blurry, but after a few moments, my vision started becoming clear again. My surroundings were a dim orange and red hue.

Moaning softly, I blinked my eyes a few times before I tried to move my arms to stretch. But…I couldn't even lift them. Something was restricting my arms from moving even the tiniest.

I glanced down to see rope, tied around my torso and legs. "Wh-what?" I gasped, seeing myself like this.

"Liz?!" a voice behind me gasped before another pressure moved against my back and the rope restrained on my arms, pulling me back.

"Ben?! What's happening?"

"We've been captured!"

My eyes darted around to see that we were in a darkened cavern. Stalagmites and stalactites surrounded us like a cage.

Ben must have been tied up behind me, because our backs pressed against each other and I'm pretty sure he's the reason why I can barely breathe when he moves. How did we get here?

"What happened? How did we get here?"

"Last thing I remember was one of the hobbes setting off a bomb and I guess it knocked us out." Ben explained as he moved behind me, probably trying to free himself. "Woke up here."

My head turned around, trying to find Emma or Reaver. "Where are they? Emma, Reaver, and Bandit."

"Don't know. Maybe in another cavern, outside, or…they already feasted…" he said hesitantly.

I shook my head in disbelief. "No, I doubt they would have eaten them." But in the back of my mind, dread crept up my spine.

"True, Emma would have blown their heads off if they tried anything." Ben chuckled, trying to keep the situation light.

"Yeah, bet Reaver would have done the same."

"Yeah." Ben sighed. "Hope they come help us. I mean, Reaver can just get eaten, but that's just the way I think."

I knew Ben meant well. He wanted Reaver dead no matter what, but now it seemed like a joke that he had about Reaver.

"So what do we do?" I asked him. Once again, we were trapped and in peril. Why was it always the two of us? Did we do something wrong to make someone mad? We were great fighters!

"Keep trying to break the ropes. Or just hope that one of them will free us." Ben responded as he rocked from side to side. "Why are we always the ones in trouble? I mean, we're both excellent fighters. So why are we always the ones in trouble?"

"My thoughts exactly! Maybe the world just hates us and wants to throw obstacles at us." I suggested, moving my arms against the restraints.

Ben laughed dryly. "Yeah, maybe."

Suddenly several maniacal laughs echoed through the cave, making my blood run cold.

"B-Ben…"

"I know, just stay strong and keep fighting through. If we can survive a carriage accident and a pack of balvarines, we can handle this."

"Quite an awful lot just to save that town."

"Well like Emma says, it's the sacrifices that save the day."

Good old Emma. Wonder where she was.

Within moments, we were surrounded by hobbes. Some of them carried weapons that we used in battle and others were eating some sort meat that made my stomach churn. I knew exactly what it was.

They all silenced for a moment before a medium sized hobbe wearing a top hat and held a scepter of some sort stepped forward.

The creature gurgled a few times, getting the other hobbes riled up. Must be some speech it was giving because the army sounded like cheering.

Then suddenly some of them began running around in a circle, performing some sort of dance.

"Must be a ritual they do before eating…" Ben mumbled to me.

My stomach sunk. "Yeah…"

"Just try and get out." He urged before he started moving again.

We just had to get out of here!

I tried wiggling around, trying to break free but the ropes were too tight. Those hobbes were brainless, but they definitely knew how to tie a knot and trap their prey.

One of the hobbes waddled over in front of me with a metal shaker and threw some sort of dust at me. Coughing and shaking my head, I tried to see clearly. "Ugh…I think that was pepper." I groaned before sneezing.

"Gazuntite." Ben mumbled.

"Ben…" I urged. "We have to hurry."

"Don't you think I know that?!" he growled as he moved against his bonds. "I'm trying as hard as I can!"

Suddenly Ben yelped when one of the hobbes smacked him with a stick. It was like they were onto them. "Darn hobbes…"

The hobbes cackled and danced around the fire. A few of them were pointing at us and then the fire. Looks like dinner was going to be very soon.

My heart was racing as fast as a horse and my stomach twisted in knots. What were we going to do?

Suddenly a gunshot rang through the cave, making all of the celebrating come to a screeching halt.

"Was that okay?" a familiar male voice asked loudly.

This time, my heart jumped inside of my chest. 'No, it couldn't be.'

A female groaned. "Well this time it's okay, but we should have been more discreet!"

"What? I think that every occasion deserves a well thought out entrance!"

"That wasn't well thought! You just find an excuse to fire that wherever we go!"

"Well…it is powerful and quite legendary."

I heard Ben groan behind me. "Will you two stop bickering and just help us?!"

Emma and Reaver? They found us? They were alive?

The army of hobbes shrieked before they started running towards the sounds of their voices.

Gunshots rang through the cave and screams of hobbes mingled with them.

"Ben! Eliza! Where are you?!" Emma yelled through the cave.

"In here! We're tied up!" I yelled as loud as I could.

I could hear Bandit's barks in the distance.

"Liz, move!" Ben commanded as we struggled against the ropes. "We've got to get out!" Sadly, it was still no use.

Suddenly I could feel Ben moving side to side again, jerking me back and forth. "Ben?! What are you doing?!"

"Trying to tip us-" he cut off when we fell over together, making our sides crash on the ground. "Over…"

"Well…you did that…but what now?" I questioned, feeling my arms ache.

There was a pause.

"I don't know…" he grumbled.

The gunshots grew closer as the sounds of Bandit's barking.

"We're over here!" I yelled out, hoping that they would find us.

Seconds later, Bandit appeared and immediately licked my face excitedly. "Good boy!" I said through the licks. "Good dog."

"Atta boy, Bandit." Ben laughed when Bandit rushed over to give him slobbery kisses as well.

"Eliza! Ben!" Emma's voice shouted as she rushed over to us and quickly got to work on the ropes.

Once we were free, we were able to get to our feet.

I hugged my best friend tightly. "Thank you! I'm so glad you're okay!"

"I know." She sighed. "When that bomb went off, we all got separated. They took the two of you down here."

"Where are we?" Ben asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Emma slowly pulled away and put her hand on top of his. "Some underground cave. This is where they've all been hiding."

"Seems like it." Ben replied, looking around at the surroundings before his eyes stared at her their joined hands.

"Excuse me! I know I'm the most talented and skillful sharpshooter, but I can't handle this alone!" Reaver shouted through the cave, breaking the moment between them.

The gleeful sounds of Hobbes laughing filled the cave as well as shots being fired, probably by Reaver.

"Can't we just let him handle things and we just slip out?" Ben pleaded to Emma and I.

She rolled her eyes and moved her hand away so she could retrieve our weapons from a stockpile that the Hobbes collected. "He helped me find you. We can't leave him."

Handing over my trusty rifle, I was able to fight back. "She's right. Even if we all have our opinions about him, he's still one of us. After all, we owe him."

Ben sighed as he took his rifle, Vanessa, back and held it up. "Oh fine…but I still hate him and think he's a git."

Emma giggled before leading us out of the room and further into the cave. Once we were there, we could see Reaver stuck in a crowd of Hobbes, shooting them down one by one. However, there were way too many to take out all at once. I was pretty surprised that he wasn't dead yet.

The three of us rushed into battle and started fighting back against the unstoppable army.

"About time you three decided to come and help!" Reaver shouted over the sounds of bullets flying.

"Shut up, Reaver!" Ben shouted as he kicked one of the smaller hobbes away.

"Glad to see you're still fighting back, Benjamin!" Reaver cheered sarcastically.

While the two of them went at each other, arguing about various topics that were unrelated to this situation, one of the bombs that the hobbes carried, went off, knocking them both to the ground.

Something bumped my foot, making me look down for a moment. Reaver's Dragonstomper! Without thinking about giving it back to Reaver, I quickly picked it up and fired a few times, knocking out three of the bigger creatures. He was probably going to kill me later for this, but I could care less at the moment.

"Again! You are using my weapon!" Reaver shouted as he slowly got up. "Have you no sense of ownership?"

"Yeah, I don't really care right now Reaver. I'm trying to get us out of here!" I yelled back before shooting down another one.

"I'm trying to accomplish the same goal!"

"Will you two stop arguing and focus?!" Emma screamed at the two of us.

Just in that moment, one of the hobbes managed to swing their club and hit my knee, making me fall over. Pain shot through me as I lay on the ground, Reaver's weapon completely out of my grasp, as well as my own.

Before the hobbe could swing again and hit my head, Bandit jumped in to save the day, biting its arm roughly.

"Good boy!" I cheered, wincing in pain as I watched the hobbe run away screaming.

Gasping in slight pain, I tried to stand to my feet. My knee really hurt, but I had to work through the pain. I've dealt with much worse things. First part is done, now I just needed a weapon.

Before I could even search, Bandit rushed over, the strap of my rifle in his mouth. Carefully, I took it back from him and scratched his head. "Such a good boy! You're definitely getting a treat later on for this!"

He barked again before rushing off into battle.

With a weapon in my hands again, I was able to fight back once more as I fired a couple of bullets into the heads of a few more hobbes.

"Nice shot, Liz!" Ben cheered as he rushed through the horde and past me to help Emma.

"Thanks!" I yelled back, firing a few bullets.

Pretty soon, my cluster of hobbes was gone and I actually had a moment to breathe.

"You!" A voice boomed behind me, making my heart jump.

Slowly, I turned around to see the barrel of the infamous Dragonstomper staring right back at me. Reaver stood at the end of it, glaring a hole through my head as if I was the thief who had stolen his gold.

It was a look I had never seen in his eyes before, especially when his gaze was one me.

"R-Reaver?" I stuttered, my heart dropping inside of my chest.

What was he doing? Was he going to shoot me?! What did I do?!

"You…you almost took away what is rightfully mine." He growled, never taking his eyes off of mine.

"Wait…what are you talking about?"

"Nobody takes what belongs to me!" he shouted, clicking the trigger into place.

Bile nearly rose into my throat. Oh Avo, he was going to shoot me!

Was it because I took his Dragonstomper? I mean, I did. But it was only for a moment.

"Twice! You did!"

Okay, maybe I took his weapon twice, but I wasn't going to take it for myself. I was only borrowing it.

"Reaver…you can't be serious right now…" I whispered, shaking a little.

Normally I wouldn't be afraid of old sarcastic Reaver, but right now…I was completely terrified. He looked so serious and he was ready to pull the trigger, ending my life. Why was he suddenly wanting to kill me? Was it going to be an 'accident'? Me being murdered by hobbes and Reaver causally strolling out of here unscathed? It was the perfect ploy!

Out of reflex when the trigger was pulled, I shut my eyes tightly, bracing for the impact of the bullet. Something whizzed past my head and a squishy sound behind me echoed through the cave followed by a loud groan of pain. Then silence.

Cautiously opening my eyes, I saw Reaver, lowering his weapon slowly. My shaky hands searched my body for any wounds, but found absolutely nothing on me.

Then my head turned to the side to see a dead hobbe lying near my feet. Realization hit me when I came to find out that Reaver wasn't aiming for me, it was at the hobbe!

"Oh don't look so scared right now. It'll ruin your prestigious face." Reaver said sarcastically, making me turn around.

His familiar smirk was on his lips as he stared back.

So many emotions filled my body right now. Fear, confusion, anger, relief. What just happened?

"Come on, we've got a battle to finish." He replied as he strolled back into the fight.

When I was alone, I tried my best to push back all of the confusing thoughts running through my head. Reaver didn't kill me and I was grateful for that, but…what did he mean by 'nobody takes what belongs to me'?

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 **What a shocker right? What do you think Reaver meant? Guess you'll have to wait until next time! I hope you guys enjoyed this new chapter! I've been waiting to write that ending for awhile now! I'm sorry I keep putting our heroes through these tough situations and having them captured. haha I'm sorry! but it is kind of funny.**

 **I'll try to have the next chapter done soon! If you're getting bored of waiting, check out some of my other stories. They're pretty awesome too! Not as good as this one probably, but they're pretty awesome if I say so myself. Don't forget to leave a review or let me know what you think. Thanks everyone!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey everyone! I'm so glad to get this done! I can't wait to get the next few chapters done because it's getting into some things that I've been so excited to write! Big things will be happening soon and I'm elated to write it all! Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed this story! I love hearing everyone's excitement for this story! I know especially after that ending in the last chapter probably shocked you. I'm almost at 50 reviews and I can't believe I'm almost there! Eeep!**

 **Please review or message me about the story. I really enjoy reading through your reactions, thoughts, and theories about what is going to happen next! They're all fun to read. I hope you guys enjoy this one! It's a long one! Enjoy guys!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fable. If I did then you could have married Reaver or Ben Finn in the game! lol**

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 **Review Responses:** Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I'm almost to 50! Can't wait to reach that soon! I love hearing your reactions and your thoughts about the story and it always makes me smile. You guys are all amazing! :)

The True Hero of Skill- Nope! She doesn't know who she's dealing with. Good observation there ;)

BloodAssassin04- You'll just have to find out!

Whyamiupsolate- Mwahaha I know I'm so evil! XD haha you'll find out what happens soon enough!

DerpFace- haha what do you think? Of course! It's gonna get to the good stuff!

Ishouldbesleepingrightnow- hahaha I hope you enjoyed your binge read! Aww well you'll have to see what's going to happen!

LoS- haha indeed I did! You're welcome sweetie! It's okay, it made me laugh when I read the rest of the response! I actually discovered Fable a few years ago, but I got so addicted to it that I fell in love with the story and the characters! I love going back and replaying 2 and 3. Plus I love reading fanfics that people wrote. Aww it is depressing to hear. Of course! I hope that you like what is going to happen! ;)

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"Liz! We need your help!" Ben shouted, breaking me out of my shocking thoughts.

I couldn't think like this! I needed to focus on what was happening now! The battle wasn't over just yet.

Taking a deep breath, I rushed back into battle as fast as my sore leg would let me and started firing again. The horde of hobbes were faltering, but there was still a lot to take out. When was this all going to end?!

"We're never getting out of here!" Ben wailed.

"My thoughts exactly!" I agreed as I made my way over to them.

"We need to almost close the cave off. Make sure nobody can get in or out." Emma thought out loud.

"How?! I don't want to be stuck in here with them! I have several reason why I need to live!" Ben whined as he shot one in the head.

"Then why are you three down there?" Reaver called above our heads. He was standing on a high cave ledge. "I happen to have a plan! So if you don't want to be crushed, then I suggest that you get moving!"

"Oh sure." Ben replied sarcastically as he shot down another hobbe. "You don't want us to be down here before you try to kill us!"

Reaver tsked. "Dear Benjamin, you always think the worst of me."

"Stop your gloating and arguing you two! We need to get out of here! Now!" Emma shouted as she descended up an inclined path that probably led up to an exit where Reaver was.

"Right behind you!" Ben replied, shooting another hobbe down before chasing after her.

Bandit and I raced towards the path, but pain shot through my knee, making me crash to the ground. My knee was still hurting from the last hobbe attack. The pain was so intense that I could barely even stand back up.

A gurgle behind my head made me quickly flip over onto my back and fired a few more bullets at the hobbes that tried to get me while I was down.

What was I going to do?! My knee was injured and I couldn't move!

"Eliza!" Emma shouted from above in shock.

"No!" Ben shrieked. "Liz!"

Giving it my all, I tried crawling backwards. If I couldn't run, then I would crawl my way out. Using my other leg, I pushed myself back as fast as I could. It wasn't fast, but it was something.

From their point on the cliff, I could hear the group helping me out by shooting down the horde.

But just when we were fighting back, the next bullet I attempted to fire, didn't fire.

Mentally, I cursed myself when I realized that I was out of ammo.

"Liz! Hang on!" Ben called.

I pushed my rifle behind my back, letting the strap that was attached press against my neck. Frantically, I crawled backwards trying to get away from the hobbes.

They closed in on me, making myself believe that this was the way I was going to die. Being feasted on by hobbes. The creatures snarled as they moved even closer to me. This was it. The bitter end!

I quickly closed my eyes before I felt myself being picked up by something. My heart sunk as I braced for the impact of those sharp and disgusting teeth latching onto my flesh.

"As much as I like certain delicacies, I'm afraid I wouldn't have that certain apatite yet." Reaver's voice informed, making me feel the rumble of his chest under my arm.

My eyes flew open to see Reaver in front of me, holding my body up off of the ground. "Reaver?" I choked out.

"That's my name!" he announced before he started running up the slope to the top of the cliff.

He was saving me? Again?!

"Why do you always keep-"

"Saving you? Well it is my job to save a lovely lady in distress." He explained as he dodged a bullet. "Then again, you're not really a lady."

Shooting a glare at him, I rolled my eyes. "Oh ha-ha very funny!"

"Hey, you thought I was funny awhile ago."

"That was before I was kidnapped and nearly eaten!" I shot back.

"How is that my fault?" he snapped, stopping for a moment to readjust the way I was situated in his arms.

"You were distracting me!" I shouted before spotting the horde following right behind us. Then I pounded my fist against his shoulder to make him move. "Go! Go! Go now!"

"Ow! Stop hitting me! I am!" he growled as he continued to run. "You're not supposed to thank me! Not hitting me!"

"I'll thank you when you apologize for distracting me and whenever you get me out of here!"

Reaver sighed heavily in response. I doubt that I would ever hear that apology. Reaver never apologized.

We rounded another corner and could see Ben and Emma standing at the cave entrance.

"Hurry Reaver!" Emma shouted.

"Don't you see that I am trying!" he snapped at the Queen.

I peered over his shoulder to see the hobbes closing in on us. "Reaver…they're gaining on us!"

He huffed before nudging my arm. "I'm allowing this for now! Grab my Dragonstomper out of the holster and use it!"

Surprised by his gesture, I leaned over his arm to grab the weapon. Once I had it, I leaned back over his shoulder and began firing. I was able to knock down a few hobbes surprisingly.

I'm pretty sure the groans I could hear from Reaver were because of me shooting the weapon right by his ear.

My shooting did falter for a moment, but that was only because Reaver stumbled a little. Instead of giving him the ever-so-popular glare, I managed to stay focused on the task at hand.

Suddenly Reaver stopped when we reached the top.

"What are you doing?" I screeched, seeing the hobbes moving closer.

"Finishing the plan!" he announced before before turning around. "Aim at the ceiling and start shooting!"

Without questioning, Ben, Emma, and I began firing up at the stalagmites. Bandit started barking wildly when the pointed rocks began to fall. The hobbes were crushed by the heavy rocks and cried out in pain.

It didn't take long until the whole cave began to rumble.

"Let's get out of this place!" Ben yelled before pulling Emma out behind him.

"Wait a moment, Benjamin! I need the Queen for a moment."

Ben stopped and turned around.

"What do you need?" Emma questioned.

"I need that trusty hammer of yours to smack one of the hobbes into the ceiling."

My eyes widened with realization. "He's right! Hit the bomb ones!"

She nodded to me and turned to see one running towards us. Emma pulled the hammer back before smacking it straight into it. The creature cried out before he crashed into the ceiling. Suddenly the bomb exploded and the ceiling began to give away.

"Now can we go?!" Ben yelled as he grabbed Emma's hand and ran out of the cave. Bandit barked wildly as he followed them out .

Frantically, I looked at Reaver when he didn't start running. "What are you doing?! We need to leave!"

"I will, once you fire the final shot!" he replied as he looked at the crumbling ceiling. "But not yet."

Panic surged through me as I saw the hobbes growing closer. "Yet?! But-"

"I'll tell you when!" he yelled over the loud noises around us before he started backing towards the exit.

"Reaver!" I pleaded. "This isn't funny!"

"Danger can be funny sometimes!"

"Reaver!" I yelled at him.

He chuckled before he nodded. "Now!"

Quickly, I fired the last shot, making the ceiling fall all at once.

As the walls and ceiling began tumbling down, Reaver rushed through the cave as fast as he could. In the distance, we could see a bright light shining though the cave. We were just about there! But the cave-in was closing in.

"Hurry!" I yelled, gripping onto Reaver's coat like a child holding onto their mother.

"I am!"

Within moments, we were back outside and the cave entrance was sealed tightly with a pile of stone behind us. Now those hobbes would never escape.

Ben and Emma panted beside us as they tried to calm down.

It took me a moment to calm my nerves as well and realize that I was still clutching to Reaver's coat. Of course, he was smirking down at me through his heavy panting.

Once we were calm, Reaver spoke up. "So...who is famished?"

Despite the grim events that we saw with the hobbes, I would have to admit that I could agree with him on that subject.

* * *

I sighed heavily in relief as I plunged my bare and aching feet into the cool ocean. It had been a very long few days and now things were finally calm again.

Once we returned to Driftwood Village, the people cheered in celebration and announced that they would hold a feast for all of us in thanks.

They even gave us a few health potions to heal our injuries, my sore knee included. Thank Avo for potions, I don't think I could have handled another second being carried around by Reaver.

Emma was whisked away again by the villagers, who made her try every dish that was created. Ben had a few admirers who flirted and praised his efforts. The children played and ran with Bandit across the island, who was more than excited than to play as well.

Reaver, however, received a few thank you's, but most of the villagers avoided him since he was a man to be feared. Literally.

As for me, I ate some of the food they provided and spoke with a few who had lost their families. I tried to be sympathetic and was able to help them remember those who were lost. When the music and dancing started, I excused myself and found myself standing on a lonely island with an abandoned house atop. It wasn't like I wanted to avoid the festivities, but i wanted some alone time to gather my thoughts.

So here I was, sitting on the shoreline with my feet in the water, thinking over what had occurred. From the battle, being eaten, then to Reaver's daring rescue, and then to Reaver's crazy actions in the cave.

He almost tried to kill me! I understand that he's very possessive over his legendary weapon, but still, he tried to kill me! But then again...he didn't. He saved me...more than once.

But what still puzzled me was the fact that he said 'nobody takes what belongs to me'. What did he mean by that? Was he talking about me? I really hoped that he wasn't. I didn't belong to him!

Also my thoughts drifted back to our...conversation back before we got to Driftwood. Was I flirting? Did I offer myself to him?

Honestly, I had no idea why I was asking myself all of these questions.

"Staying away from the festivities?" Reaver's voice drawl from behind, making my heart jump. Speaking of the devil.

"I just wanted to have some alone time and relax." I replied nonchalantly. Why did he have to come and bother me of all people?

"Then I suppose you wouldn't mind if I joined you." he said as he sat down next to me on the shoreline.

"No, go ahead and sit down. Make yourself comfortable." I responded sarcastically.

"Oh, it's not comfortable. I'm sitting on the **_filthy_** ground. Of course, I'm staining my already ruined suit."

I shook my head. "As I've said before, you can always buy a new one. You've got more money than most of Albion does." I reminded him as I dragged my feet through the water.

"Oh, but there will never be a suit as exquisite as this one." he pouted, examining his sleeve.

"Still, I think your life would be more important."

"Oh Dear Lizzie, you forget that my life will always belong to me and I have no worries to lose it. It is **_mine_**."

The way that he purred the word 'mine' sent shivers down my spine.

"B-by the way, what did you mean earlier?"

"What are you referring to?" he inquired, leaning in close as if I was telling him a secret.

"When you almost shot me." I replied flatly, still upset over the fact that he could have killed me.

"You know I didn't. That little beast tried to kill you."

"I could've handled it." I tried to defend.

"It was sneaking up on you. I thought I should remove the problem and save that little beast the glory of killing the woman who made it out alive."

"But the theatrics?"

Reaver shrugged his shoulders. "Theatrics help the situation. Makes things more dramatic."

"So what uh...did you mean when you said 'nobody takes what belongs to me'?" I asked hesitantly, nervous to hear his obvious response.

"Well obviously they were trying to take away one of my favorite people."

My heart sunk. Just what I was dreading to hear.

"Why I couldn't lose you. Who would I have around to talk to?"

"You hate everyone." I replied, trying to convince him.

I felt his arm nudge mine. "I don't hate you."

"Sure...you don't hate the person who despises you more than life itself."

"Oh come now, you don't think that of me. I think deep down, you **_do_** care for me."

This made me snort. "That's a lie."

"Is it? Then why were you saying that I don't deserve to live the other day and now you're telling Benjamin to spare me, hm?"

My head turned to meet his gaze. No...that couldn't be right.

"Oh don't give me that confusion look. You know it's true. You also saved me on a few occasions."

He was right about that. I did defend him during the battle.

But still, I avoided his gaze. "So? I didn't think that you should die then?"

"And there's another thing. If I would've died, then who would have saved you? You would have been eaten by balvarines or hobbes. But of course, I saved you...how many times now?" he asked teasingly, nudging me again.

Naturally, he was bringing this up.

"Forget about it, Reaver."

"Why it's rather hard to forget doing such a deed." he gasped mockingly. "I thought you would be grateful to me." Then he leaned in closer to me. "So grateful to reward me for saving your life so many times."

As much as I wanted to tell him to back off and it would never happen, I actually stopped myself.

"Well?" he asked. "What do you say to that?"

I pursed my lips. "Normally, I would tell you a few nasty things and to shove that suggestion somewhere equally nasty."

He chuckled softly. "Typical Lizzy. But what are you thinking of doing now?"

What was I thinking?

"Nothing at the moment."

"But later?"

"Possibly."

I could hear Reaver chuckle again. "I look forward to whatever it is."

There was a short pause before I broke the silence.

"So...what do you think we're going to do after all of this?" I wondered out loud.

Reaver sighed, rolling his shoulders. "I'm not really sure. I would assume that we are going back to the castle."

My eyes trained to the sky above. Tiny stars began twinkling above, welcoming the big and bright moon.

"I would hope we weren't going to travel in the dark." I commented, slightly nervous about being attacked at night again. After that balvarine attack last night, I wasn't really in the mood to be ambushed again.

"Well...despite what you all think of my mansion, I would allow all of you to stay there for the night. I have several nice and comfortable rooms to stay in." Reaver offered. "A very big bed for you...completed with silky sheets and fluffy pillows. I know it would be more comfortable than a smaller bed that you probably sleep on."

"My bed is just fine, Reaver."

"Yes, but it is on the other side of Albion. Brightwall is very far from here. And I don't think you would like to travel the whole way though the sewers when you're exhausted from battle and all."

He had a point. But still...could I spend a night in his mansion? After the horrors we faced so long ago?

"I can see those little gears in your head turning about. You're thinking about it." he whispered, leaning over to me. "You're debating on whether you want to be in my house or not. Think about it, a nice soft bed, all the food you can eat, and...me."

Shivers ran down my spine at his words. I mentally cursed myself for reacting this way. This was Reaver, the flirtatious entrepreneur who seduced with everything!

My cheeks heated up, making me turn away so he couldn't see the embarrassment I was feeling.

"You're thinking about it." He mused, running the back of his index finger over my bare arm.

I jerked away from his touch and glared at him.

He just smirked in response taking his hand back. "Just trying to sweeten the deal a little. Is that a crime?"

"It is when you're talking and touching me like that." I grumbled.

"Ohh…it's harmless. Besides, I figured that you wouldn't want anything like that. After all, you did say that you didn't want that sort of thing in life. Even if I say that you should broaden your horizons."

I shook my head. "No, and I'm sort of glad to hear that you actually remembered something."

"Oh, sounds like someone was impressed by me."

I rolled my eyes. "Shut it, Reaver."

He chuckled again, shaking his own head. "You are definitely not like anyone else, Lizzie."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" I shot back, dragging my toes along the sand in the water.

He merely smirked at me. Before either of us could say a word, a tune being played nearby grew louder. I could see from my spot that there were several couples dancing around gleefully.

"Hmm…seems they're very jubilant." Reaver mused. "Shame you're missing out on all the fun."

"I'm perfectly content where I am." I replied, digging my toes into the sand.

I could hear Reaver humming slightly. "You know…you could repay the favor right now for me."

"And that would be?"

"Why, you could honor me with a dance. This isn't my sort of tune to dance to, but…if it means that I could dance with you for a moment, I would have to request it. What do you say?"

I pursed my lips. "I don't dance."

"Oh come now, you must have been taught by someone."

He wasn't wrong there. My parents practically forced me to learn. I honestly hated it, mainly because my parents were so determined to teach me.

However, if someone without a high class background asked…then sometimes I would allow myself to enjoy it. Most of the time when Emma and I would be on the run, some villagers would be celebrating and they would ask us to dance; which I would push aside my hate for a moment and I would dance with someone. Most of my dance partners were children and they weren't bad dancers.

"I do know how, I just don't want to."

"Is it me? Is it because it is me you would be dancing with?"

Mostly.

When I didn't reply, I felt Reaver grab my arm and tried pulling me up. "Come on Lizzie, don't be such a spoil sport. You need to enjoy life and it's many wonders."

I stumbled a bit, accidentally kicking some water onto his boots. "Reaver! This isn't funny!"

"Of course it isn't. It's just a dance." He chuckled before pulling me away from the shoreline.

"But-" He cut me off when my body collided with his chest. He placed one hand on my hip while the other took my hand in his.

"Just don't complain and go with it." He whispered before he moved my other hand to his shoulder.

Before I could say anything more, he started directing me around as we started dancing. It was clumsy at first, but I tried to catch up with him. The music was awfully fast, too fast for the classic waltz.

"There, this isn't so bad, is it?"

My feet said otherwise as I stumbled and accidentally stepped on his foot.

"It is when I can't find the rhythm. I'm sorry." I quickly apologized as I tried to remember the steps I was taught. "I'm a little rusty."

"I can feel that." He winced as he tried shaking his foot. "Just try not thinking so much."

"Easy for you to say…you dance with people all the time." I grumbled as I tried to find the rhythm with the quick paced music. "I haven't danced for a long time."

"Well you should try and come to my lavish parties." As soon as he saw my glare, he quickly took my back his comment. "Okay, maybe not at my mansion. But if I did, I wouldn't invite any guests who were secretly balvarines."

A small giggle left my lips. "Yeah, unless you want me to kill everyone again. Then again, you wouldn't really care."

He chuckled as well. "True. They're much too hairy for my liking at times."

We both laughed at the thought and tried to continue to dance. However, it wasn't very easy to dance like this.

"Maybe we should stop." I suggested, hoping that he would change his mind.

"Nonsense. I wanted a dance with you and a dance I shall have." He said before twirling me around in a circle. "If we can't do this the old fashioned way, then we could make up our own way."

Before I could ask what he meant, he changed the traditional box step motion and started leading me in circle. It was different than what I was used to, but I wasn't struggling as much.

The pace picked up a little as it turned into almost a quick gallop around. Reaver was twirling me around before turning around as well.

Laughter began bubbling in my chest as we moved together. It was strange to see Reaver like this, but…I kind of liked it.

He chuckled as he spun me around once, then twice, and so many times that I lost count and I felt a little dizzy. But I didn't really care.

By now, we broke away from each other and started dancing on our own for each other, almost trying to show off to one another. Reaver spun me around again before letting me spin him.

My feet squished in the mud below while my hair danced in the breeze. Through the spins, I could see an actual smile on Reaver's lips.

I couldn't believe I was actually seeing this! Not a smirk, but a smile. He was dancing and smiling!

Was this a whole new side of Reaver?

Suddenly when the music came to a stop, I tripped over my own feet and crashed into Reaver, sending us both to the ground.

I winced a little before I found myself laughing. Instead of expecting Reaver pushing me off of his 'expensive suit', I heard him laugh. Not like his normal arrogant or evil laugh, but a general laugh that I would hear from Ben when he would laugh at his own jokes or Walter laughing with excitement over Emma's power.

It was new and…I liked hearing it.

We laughed loudly as we lay on the ground together, not really sure about what we were laughing at. My head rested on top of his chest, feeling his chest rise and fall with each laugh.

Once the laughter slowed down, I lifted my head to stare down at him. His hat had fallen off, leaving his dark silky hair exposed to the air.

For some reason, even if I had seen it the other night at the castle, it looked different now. The way that one of the dark strands dangled on his forehead as if it was trying to escape the confides of his hat.

Before I could stop myself, I found myself brushing the strand back into place on the top of his head. Reaver's dark eyes watched every move I made before I slowly pulled my hand back, but his hand grabbed mine. My breath caught in my throat as I watched him examine my fingers, running his thumb over the back of each digit.

Once he was done, his eyes met mine again. Inside of my chest, I could feel my heart beating a little louder than normal and at a quicker pace. A lump in my throat rose as his hand touched my hair then, brushing a loose strand behind my ear just like I had done for him.

He didn't say anything to me, just continued to stare at me.

In his eyes, I didn't see what I saw before. Like the other night, I didn't see that cold gaze…the gaze of a monster, full of a thousand secrets. No…

It was no longer the gaze of a monster…instead…I was staring into the eyes of-

BARK BARK!

My head jerked to the side to see Bandit running towards us excitedly.

"Eliza! Where are you?" Emma's voice shouted.

Quickly, I scrambled off of Reaver and rushed out from behind the house to see her running towards the cabin. Bandit rushed at my feet, looking me over as if he was making sure I wasn't injured. I wasn't…but…I wasn't completely okay.

"There you are! Where were you?"

My heart raced inside of my chest and my face heated with embarrassment. "Uh…I was…just sitting over here." I panted, trying to think of the words to tell her before quickly adding, "Alone!"

She stared at me strangely. "Uh…okay. No need to sound like you did something wrong." She chuckled at the end. "We were all worried where you ran off to. Even Reaver was wondering where you ran off to."

My cheeks warmed at the thought of Reaver. Wait what?

"Oh…of course he was. After all, I am his ' ** _fiancé_** '." I mimicked in his voice, making Emma laugh.

"True." She agreed before sighing when Bandit ran to her. "Now come on back with me. I know parties aren't your sort of thing, but we would really like you to be there." Emma sounded so sincere by asking me.

What was I to do? Go to a party in our celebration or go back to…

"Okay, I'll go with you. Just make sure that Ben isn't going to make me dance." I teased as I followed after her.

"Good, but I think you know how Ben does things around here." She laughed as we walked back together, Bandit trailing behind us.

As we left the small island, I spared a small glance behind me to see Reaver, arrogant and garish enough, leaned against the cabin, his arms folded across his chest and a smirk on his lips.

Fear bubbled inside of me as I quickly turned back around. What did I just do?

* * *

 **Ohhhh boy...things are definitely changing here...if you haven't noticed. haha That means big changes are happening in future chapters! I can't wait to write those moments that I've been waiting to do for so long! Actually, since I started writing this story!** **Anyways, so for the past few days, I've been on a massive writing streak, the next chapter should be out soon and boy...is it a loooooong one! ;)**

 **Please let me know what your thoughts are on for the future! I love hearing predictions of what's going to happen! For Eliza and Reaver. Also for Ben and Emma. Theories are interesting to hear and sometimes, who knows, you could guess what's going to happen. Then again...some of you might not. But I enjoy reading them along with your thoughts on the story. Don't forget to leave a review or PM me if you'd rather talk to me personally.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter and you'll stay tuned for the next one! ;) Thanks everyone!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey everyone! Okay...sooooo I know that this chapter might be shorter than normal. The reason why is because this chapter was originally over 9,000 words long! (ha it's over 9000!, had to say it XD) It would have been the longest chapter for this story ever! However, this would have been longer than my Full Metal Alchemist story and that's a oneshot. So I felt that I should cut it down a little and then save the craziness for next time. Closer to my birthday and trust me, I want this to come out around that time. The next one...is...oh my...just take my word for it that it'll be crazy and amazing haha**

 **Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Especially after the ending in the last one. Romance is appearing...a whole new perspective for Eliza. Also, could something be happening between our favorite Hero and the humorous soldier? Well...you'll have to find out!** **;)**

 **Thank you for all the reviews, favorites, follows, and alerts everyone! The reviews were amusing to read with some of your theories about the future of this story and what do you think is going to happen for our heroes. Please review or message me about the story! I love reading them and I always reply to them. Don't be afraid to send me one. I'm almost to 50 reviews and I'm shocked that I'm almost there! 2 years later and this story is going beyond what I was expecting! Thank you everyone!**

 **I hope you all enjoy this chapter and the next one as well! Trust me, they'll be shocking! Also...they will be out of my comfort zone definitely. Reaver is unlike any character I've worked with...so I hope I do him justice! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fable. If I did then you could have married Reaver or Ben Finn in the game! lol**

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 **Review Responses: Thank you for everyone's kind and funny words. You guys always make me smile with your opinions and responses to the latest chapters! The theories you had were pretty interesting to read. Who knows, maybe you're all right ;) But only time will tell. Keep the theories coming. I like discussing them. Thank you again you guys! You're amazing!**

 **Whyamiupsolate-** Yay! You're playing it! Catch up because it's such an amazing game! haha overthinking happens a lot!

 **LuciferLovesMehh-** Thank you so much! Really? Wow, I'm surprised by that. But I'm happy to hear that I'm getting Reaver close and that Eliza has development. Character development is a little bit of a struggle at times and I'm always worried about making them a Mary Sue or a boring OC, but I'm glad that I'm doing something right! Thank you again!

 **Fox1212-** Ohhh good theory! It's possible, but...it could be more than that...maaaaybe. ;)

 **BloodAssassin04-** lol you'll just have to wait and see! Aww thank you sweetie! I'm surprised how far it's come in the past two years. This story was orginally supposed to be fast and over in a couple chapters, but things expanded into bigger things and I just ran away with the story. I love how far it's come and all of the love and support for it! And yes, I had fun writing that. Had to put something cute in there.

 **Ishouldbesleepingrightnow-** Yay! Love hearing that! ^_^

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Back at the celebration, several families were dancing around, laughing with each other, and eating various foods. It was a welcoming sight to see despite everything that had happened with the hobbe attack.

In the midst of the large crowd of dancers, we could see Ben twirling a little girl with long black braids in her hair around in circles while the other children danced along with them.

Emma giggled at the sight and I smiled.

"He's definitely something else, isn't he?" I laughed, watching as Ben picked her up and spun around.

"Yeah, Ben isn't like anyone else and that's just how I...I mean _**we**_ like him." She said quickly, brushing her hair behind her ear. "Just like that…"

I saw the look in her eyes and nudged her arm. "I see how you look at him. I know what you think."

She sighed heavily, shaking her head. "What do you think?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

She sighed in exasperation. "Eliza, we've been over this."

"I know, but I hate seeing things like this." I said before looking at Ben. "I can see the look in both of your eyes. You're both wanting more than what you already have."

She folded her arms over her chest, shaking her head. "And you know why we can't."

"Yeah, I know your side of things." I assured her. "But…I don't know why you have to obey those rules. I'm sure you two can work things out and…live together in happiness."

She rolled her eyes. "There always isn't happiness in this world."

She had a point. We lived in a world of monsters and danger.

"True, but…because of you and the revolution, we made things safer for everyone around us. Because of your ruling, people are able to live without much fear as they used to. I know that there are things out there that can kill and do much worse, but you were able to destroy that one evil thing that was in their way of happiness." I tried to tell her. "You stopped your brother and saved everyone."

She didn't reply as I continued.

"And look at you now; you are improving Albion as it is. You're building and repairing parts of the town that needed to be fixed. You're helping the poor and cutting back crime by so much."

This time, a small smile appeared on her lips. "You've done so much for the kingdom, why don't you do something for yourself?"

Her head lowered. "I…I don't know…"

"Well you don't have to act on that now." I told her. "Just take baby steps."

Her head turned to face me. "Like what?"

"Well…you can start things off, by asking him for a dance." I suggested when Ben looked over at us, setting down the little girl. "Just go ask him."

Emma stood there for a moment and scuffed the ground with her boot.

"Just go." I urged, pushing her shoulder gently. "Then work on things from there."

She spared a glance at me before she slowly made her way towards Ben. He smiled at her and said a few words that were drowned out by the music. Then she held out her hand and the next thing I saw was the two of them dancing to the music.

I smiled as well as I watched the two of them dance the night away together. Deep down, I would hope the moment would last.

* * *

Sadly, the night did come to an end when people started getting ready for bed. They thanked us again for saving them and told us that we could come and visit any time.

When the villagers were cleaning up, the five of us stood away from everyone, discussing our next move.

"Well? What do we do now?" Ben questioned, biting into a nice red apple.

I kept my gaze down at my boots, not wanting to lock gazes with Reaver. I was still not sure what to think of what happened earlier tonight and I wasn't really wanting to talk to him about this in front of Ben and Emma.

"Well…I think it would be a bit dangerous to travel back to the castle tonight. Especially since we can't see in the dark." Emma informed us. "There are dozens of dangers out there and we're not ready to go back into battle again."

We all shook our heads in agreement. It was a bad idea.

"So where are we going to go? I mean, I'm sure Driftwood wouldn't mind us sleeping under the stars here. I'd hate to kick them out of their caravans tonight." Ben said, looking around at the villagers.

"We're not going to do anything like that." Emma assured him. "But…we need to go somewhere."

Reaver hummed softly. "Well…I did mention something to dear Lizzie awhile ago." He spoke, making my heart jump. "I suggested that we take shelter in my mansion tonight."

"Why would we stay there?" Ben sneered.

"Well, if you would like to sleep in a grave tonight, then I suggest that you take the way home through the Millfields cemetery." Reaver suggested, making Ben growl under his breath. "The point is, we need a place to spend the night. My mansion isn't that far from here and I have several rooms to spend the night in. I haven't had many guests lately and I get so lonely." He pouted mockingly.

"Yeah, like we want to spend a night in that nightmare of a place." Ben replied sarcastically.

"Dear Benjamin, must you always assume that my place of living is full of death. I'm not always a nightmare as people call me."

I could predict Ben rolling his eyes at him like normal.

"Enough." Emma commanded, halting their fight. "As much as I don't want to stay in the place, we need to rest for the night. Then we can travel again in the morning. Can you both handle this?"

Ben grumbled under his breath but agreed to spend the night there.

I could feel everyone's gaze on me.

"Eliza?" Emma questioned calmly, making me lift my head.

I managed to keep my gaze away from Reaver before nodding to Emma. "Yeah…we can."

"Excellent! Then it's settled. Come along, there's not a moment to lose!" Reaver announced excitedly as he started making his way towards Millfields.

As we followed behind him, I could feel someone touch my shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?" Emma asked concerned.

I nodded quickly, trying to stay calm. "Yeah, fine. Just a bit exhausted."

"Well hopefully, we can sleep tonight in a place where so many people and balvarines died." Ben commented before my elbow hit his side.

"Shut up, Ben." I laughed softly. "Or I'm going to be the one who gives you nightmares."

* * *

About an hour later, we were inside of Reaver's mansion, being shown to our rooms by several of Reaver's servants. They greeted us with painted on smiles, probably trying not to anger the Queen and the military general, who could kill them in single moment. Then they led us upstairs to our rooms.

Naturally, we were all given a room to ourselves. Emma and Ben said their goodnights and even a good luck that I wouldn't be killed and left me alone to my room.

When I opened the door, I was surprised to see a very large room before me. The walls and carpets matched with a bloody crimson hue. The floors were checkered with black and white tiles that looked like a chessboard and large red paper lanterns hung from the ceiling, giving the room the tinted glow of blood.

I walked further into the room, surprised at the sight before me. My eyes trained over to the bed with a large bed frame with a canopy suspending above it. The silky sheets were red as well with a few gold emblems on them. The larger emblem that graced the curtain above the headboard was a letter R with a few gears surrounding it.

"Of course, everything has to have Reaver's name on it." I mumbled under my breath as I set my pack on a nearby chair.

I managed to change into something a little more comfortable; well I wouldn't really say that it was since it wasn't something I was used to wearing. Reaver's maids provided me with a long white nightgown that fell above my ankles by a few inches and had lacy elbow length sleeves. It had several ribbons and lace that tied up the small bodice, hugging my figure so nicely.

Most of the time, I would sleep in a baggy shirt or some of my old and ratty clothes from before when I went to sleep. It felt very odd. However, the gown felt cool against my skin as I gazed at myself in the long mirror nearby. I had removed my boots as well, letting my sweaty and tired feet rest against the cold floor below.

Also, this definitely felt weird staying here, but it was better than sleeping outside again. Plus, I had a bed to sleep in.

As I made my way over to the bed, I heard a knock at the door. Grumbling softly, I went to the door, hoping it wasn't anything important. Perhaps it was just a servant asking if everything was to my liking and if I needed anything else. That's what most of the servants back home would ask me.

But when I opened the door, my heart sunk when I found myself staring into the dark eyes of the last person I wanted to see.

"Ohhh my…well look what we have here." Reaver purred as his eyes glanced over my figure. "It seems that my maids found something that fit you perfectly. How delightful."

I quickly folded my arms across my chest, trying to shield him from looking at me. "Wh-what do you want?"

He scoffed. "Well then, is that any way to treat the host who graciously let you into my home? Hm?"

"Oh shut up, Reaver. This was your plan all along."

"And how did you come to that notion?"

"Oh don't play coy with me. I know those gears inside of your head were forming a plot to get us all here. So what, do you have the Wheel of Misfortune inside of Emma's room to kill her in her sleep? Or do you have a balvarine hiding in the closet in Ben's room?"

He tsked lightly. "Must you always imagine me as the sadist? I don't always murder my guests for sport." Then he paused, rubbing his chin. "Then again…there was that one night."

I glared at him. "What do you want, Reaver? Can't you leave me in peace for once tonight? I'm rather tired after everything I've endured."

Reaver shrugged. "Well…first of all, I wanted to wish you a good evening and I hope you have pleasant dreams."

"Fine, good, now go away." I said as I tried shutting the door, only to have him place his arm against the door to hold it open.

"Secondly, I needed to find a change of clothing before I could go to bed myself." He said, pushing himself into the room without my permission.

"Oy! Can't you find clothes elsewhere?" I growled as I watched him waltz into my room. "Like your own room?"

Reaver stopped and turned around, shrugging off his suit jacket. "Ohhh…it seems that you've forgetten a small little detail in your suggestion."

"And what's that?" I questioned, placing my hands on my hips.

A devilish smirk appeared on his lips. "This **_is my_** room."

My heart plummeted into my stomach and a shiver ran down my spine. **_His?!_**

Reaver's smirk grew as if he could see the shock on my face. "Oh yes, you didn't think that I would give you just any old room to sleep in, hm? I wanted you to have the best room in my whole mansion." He explained as he began stripping out of his clothes in the middle of the room.

Blushing immensely, I avoided looking. "Well I don't want this room then! I-I'll just go find somewhere else to sleep!"

Reaver chuckled. "Nonsense. This is the only room available for the night anyways. I have a few guests staying in the other rooms besides the Queen and Major Finn. Besides, you'll have someone to keep you company during the night."

"I-I thought you didn't have any guests staying tonight." I managed to say, making him laugh again.

"Oh dear, did I forget that part? Silly me. They're just some old friends from a nearby village. And don't worry, they're not of the beastly type. That is…outside of the bedroom."

My eyes found a portrait of Reaver holding a pistol on the wall and shut my eyes. I didn't want to see him at all. "Then go find somewhere else to sleep tonight! I don't want to share a bed again with you."

His warm and slender hands touched my shoulder and the side of my face so he could turn me back towards him again. He had removed his filthy and blood covered clothes and had donned a deep crimson silk robe that was, hopefully, tied tightly around his waist. "Now now, don't get your nightie in a twist, dear Lizzie. If that is how you think, then I shall sleep in my private room tonight."

My heart rose out of my stomach and caught in my throat. "Private room?"

"Oh yes, it's hidden in this very room. Would you like to see?" he asked me.

Before I could say a word, Reaver gently took my arm and led me over to a bookcase. He pulled a book from the shelf and we watched as the bookshelf slowly began to move out of the way, revealing a secret passage staircase.

"Come along then, let me show you one of my greatest secrets."

I tried to pull away from Reaver, but his strong grip on my arm said otherwise. "Now now, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to show you." He cooed, trying to calm me down.

"I don't want to see anything that belongs to you, Reaver." I sneered. "Especially some private room, which I assume it holds some sort of torture device."

"Oh come now, you don't mean that." He said as he descended down the long staircase together. "Besides, I'm not locking you down here with me. What sort of host would I be?"

The staircase was dark and it seemed to go on forever. How far down was this secret room? Did Reaver sleep in the basement?

When we reached a certain landing on the stairs, I could see a dim red lighting in the room down below. "Ahh, here we are." Reaver announced when we arrived.

My eyes widened in shock at the room before me.

There was an exact replica of the bed upstairs except it was in the center of the room. Around it, there were various objects that made my blood run cold. A rack table for torturing people, a cream colored chaise, a few dark cabinets, and of course a birdcage that was enormous…big enough for a person to fit inside of.

"Ahh…home sweet home." He sighed, placing his hand on my back. "This is my private quarters or shall I say, my playroom for when my guests are feeling a little naughty."

I felt slightly sick as my eyes gazed at the room ahead. "I…I…how could you live in a place like this? Seriously?"

He laughed at my outburst. "Dear Lizzie, have you forgotten whom you are speaking to?"

"True…but still, I don't know how you…" I trailed off for a moment.

"How I…what?" he questioned.

"How could you get a cage that big down here?" I asked, looking at the massive cage that suspended from the ceiling.

Reaver paused for a moment. "You know, I have absolutely no idea."

Instead of rolling my eyes, I felt myself laughing a little. "I mean, did someone just roll it down the stairs or something?"

Reaver smiled and chuckled a little as well. "Well I would assume that it magically appeared here or I mentioned it to one of the builders and I simply forgot."

"How could you forget ordering…that?" I asked, slowly moving over to the cage. "I mean, don't you think that the builder stared at you strangely that you ordered to have a massive cage in your secret bedroom?"

"As I've said before, I don't really care what anyone thinks of me." He replied nonchalantly. "Besides, I think it really ties the room together."

That made me snort. "Oh yeah, just have a big human sized cage in here. Capture your guests and force them to watch you sleep."

"Annnd, other things." He purred, making me roll my eyes.

This made me gag. "Ugh…you're revolting."

"And yet, I somehow amuse you." He mused, leaning against the cage a little.

"Yeah, right." I replied sarcastically, shaking my head. " _ **The great Reaver amuses me**_."

"Well you didn't think so badly of me back on Driftwood." He mentioned with a sly smirk. "I have to say, dancing with you was very invigorating. I thoroughly enjoyed myself."

My heart jumped once again, but I tried to remain cool, calm, and collected. "Well…it wasn't awful."

"Really now? That's all you have to say?" he questioned, standing up straight to stand merely inches from me. "Nothing about how much fun we had and the laughter we shared?"

I waited, fearing that he would bring up the moment that happened between us before I left him on the island. When he didn't say anything, I managed to find the words to speak.

"Well…I will admit it wasn't as bad as I thought."

"And was I such a terrible dancer?"

I frowned at the answer that I feared to say.

Reaver folded his arms across his chest and smirked. "Well?"

Biting onto my lower lip, I finally confessed. "No…"

"Good." He said cheerfully. "Now then, how about we do something fun before we turn in for the night?"

My eyes fell on the bed and a cold chill ran through me. He saw what I was looking at and slid a finger under my chin, turning me back towards him. "I know what you're thinking and I would hope that's what you **_would_** suggest. But…I actually had something else in mind."

With that, he took my hand and led me back up the stairs.

"What exactly are you wanting, Reaver?" I asked, pulling my hand away when we reached his other bedroom.

He turned to face me and stared into my eyes. "Would you care for a nightcap with me? I have some of the finest wine in Albion and I thought I should share a glass or two with you."

My brows knit together in confusion. "You want me to have a drink with you?"

He shrugged, sliding his hand through his dark locks, smoothing his hair. "Of course. I thought it could be our own celebration for defeating several beasts and then bringing Emma and Ben a little closer. I saw them dancing together at the party tonight." He sighed as he tightened the knot on his silky robe. "Sooo what do you say? Care for that drink?" he asked, offering me his hand.

I stared at his hand, contemplating over what to do. Could I really sit down with him? Alone in the mansion while everyone else slept?

Before I could really stop myself, I found myself replying. "Why not?"

* * *

 **Well? What do you think is going to happen now? Eliza got to see what is really hiding behind the bookcase haha that was a funny scene to write (laughed my head off during that mission in the game). What do you think is going to go down while they're having that drink? I'm so excited for the next chapter! Trust me, it's gonna be a doozy! I will try to finish editing it and hopefully have it out before the end of the month.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this one and let me know what you think. Love reading through the theories that you all have and who knows, you might be right. I will try to finish the next one as soon as I can. Please leave a review or message me! Thanks everyone!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey everyone! I'm BEYOND excited for this! This was the chapter I've been waiting to do for so long! Like I said in the last chapter, this one would have been over 9,000 words long and I had to split it in half. But still, this chapter is still long! As Maui from the Disney movie, Moana, said..."You're welcome!" haha I couldn't resist saying that. I have to say I am beyond proud of myself for writing this chapter. I had a blast writing it and I can't wait to share it with you finally! This is my early birthday present for myself because I get to post my favorite chapter! Eeep!**

 **Thank you to all of you who reviewed, put me on alerts and follower lists! You guys are awesome! Please let me know what you think of this chapter! I hope you all enjoy it and had a good holiday weekend! Enjoy! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fable. If I did then you could have married Reaver or Ben Finn in the game! lol**

* * *

 **Review Responses** : Thank you to everyone who sent a review! I love reading them! Keep them up! ^_^

 **BloodAssassin04** \- Ohhh something is coming! lol he's very cheeky! ;)

* * *

"Mm…this isn't so bad after all." I commented as I took another sip from my glass.

Reaver smirked across the counter at me. "I told you it was magnificent. It's one of my favorites."

"Where did you find this?" I asked, swirling my glass around in circles so I could watch the liquid roll around, sloshing against the edges.

"Oh I collected it on one of my many adventures at sea." He bragged, sipping from his own glass.

I tilted my head. "I didn't know that you traveled on the high seas."

He rested his elbow on the counter and propped his head up on his wrist. "Oh I used to travel for miles and miles; exploring new places and its many unique qualities." Then he sighed in content. "Oh the adventures I've had and the things I've done. Oh those memories were the best ones in my life."

"What was the best place to be?" I asked him, curious about Reaver's life. Even if I despised the man, I wanted to know about his back story. Reaver was such a secretive man and nobody really knew where he came from. Or what hole he crawled out of. Everyone, except for Queen Sparrow, but nobody could ask a dead woman. Well…from what I've been told. Emma has mentioned that she has spoken to ghosts along her travels.

Reaver pursed his lips in thought as he swirled his glass around like mine. "Hmm…oh there were so many places. I would have to say, I did enjoy my visit in Bloodstone. Such fascinating adventures."

My eyebrows rose up in surprise. "Bloodstone? That cutthroat village where pirates once ruled?" It's a shock that he made it out alive. Then again, Reaver did seem like a dirty scoundrel of a pirate from his mischievous ways.

He grinned at me, letting me see his perfect teeth. "Ohhh yes indeed. Such nasty pirates and yet some very…very powerful ones. But, it was quite the interesting place. The public loved me there!"

I snorted, taking a sip from my glass. "I'm sure they did. Every night." I teased, knowing what he would probably say.

"Indeed they did." Reaver smirked at me, laughing softly. "Oh Lizzie, you astound me again."

"I'm sure I do." I laughed dryly, sipping again. "Not sure why I do, but I'm sure"

Reaver was quiet for a moment before he set his glass down and placed his hands in front of him on the counter, interlacing his fingers. "Well…for starters, you're very fetching and quite enchanting."

Scoffing, I rolled my eyes. "Oh stop it with that flirting. You know it doesn't work on me."

"But what if it was true?"

My eyes met his. "Reaver, I've seen you flirt with several kinds of people. Guests of yours, high class citizens, a few poor citizens, Page, and Emma."

"Well can't anyone take a compliment? I like giving them." He drawled, examining his fingers. "Is that a crime?"

"It is when you do it excessively and I know for a fact that you do." I spoke bitterly.

Reaver sighed dramatically. "You're always focusing on the negatives when it comes to myself. Why not look at the positive side of Reaver? Like how I enjoy looking into those beautiful emerald green eyes that sparkle in the sunlight and darken when the moon is out. How your almond cream hair falls so nicely around your face, framing it just right. And the way your porcelain skin shines in the moonlight on a warm night like this" he expressed, staying focused on my face the whole time, never letting his eyes linger elsewhere. "And for the scar on your cheek, I truly am sorry for causing that. But…I believe that it brings out your face a bit more. I actually adore it."

Perplexed, I stared back at Reaver, unable to find the words to reply to his explanation. I wasn't sure if I was to believe his words or not. It was normal for Reaver to flirt with women like this. But…the fact that he went through various details about my physical features...did he really think of me like that? No, it wasn't true, was it?

"H-how could my scar be adored?" I tried to joke, attempting to stay stone-faced.

Reaver tilted his head to the side. "Why, it shows that you're a fighter. You don't let anything destroy you." Then he grabbed a peanut from a nearby serving tray. "From what you've told me, about what you've endured, I would have to say that that scar on your cheek represents the struggles that you've survived through. You are very tough, tougher than most women. Then again, probably not as much as the Queen or her mother, but you're just as brave as they are."

Again, Reaver rendered me speechless. My lips parted as if I wanted to say something, but I couldn't find the words to tell him. Out of all the ludicrous, obnoxious, perverted, and creepy things Reaver had told me, this one was the most startling. Was that an actual compliment?

"You look so surprised right now, Dear Lizzie. Has nobody told you that before?" he wondered, tossing the peanut into his mouth.

"I…I…"

"I…what?" he tried to finish for me.

My brain scrambled for a witty comeback or a dismissal comment, but I came up with nothing.

Reaver grinned, shaking his head. "Very well, why don't I tell you something else I admire about you? Such as, the way you can handle a weapon. The way that you hold it delicately and yet with force, ready to fire at any moment."

"So? A lot of people can do that?" I said modestly. I knew that there were better shooters out there than myself.

"Not like you."

My heart skipped a beat as I averted my eyes from him.

"You know that I _**am**_ right."

I shook my head in response.

"Don't you ever take compliments?" Reaver asked, picking up the bottle and offered to refill my glass.

I allowed him, biting on my lower lip.

He sighed when I remained silent. "You know that you are extremely stubborn." He put plainly without an ounce of remorse.

This made me glare at him. "Well you certainly aren't a peach either." I sneered back.

"And why is that?"

I had to get him off the subject of complimenting me. "Gee...where to start?"

"Let me guess…" Reaver started, holding up his fingers and began counting on each of them. "I'm arrogant, obnoxious, a nymphomaniac, a murderer, and a psychopath. Have I left anything out?"

Narrowing my eyes at him, I came up with another one. "Yeah, you reek."

His eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Pardon me?"

"Yeah, you heard me. You reek horribly."

Reaver narrowed his eyes and leaned over the table. "And what do I smell like?"

Noticing that I was making him slightly aggravated, I smirked at him. "Like old gunpowder."

Instead of glaring at me, he smirked mischievously. "Well perhaps I enjoy the scent of gunpowder."

We stared at each other, almost daring the other to make another insult or a comeback.

Before either of us could say a word, a creak upstairs alerted the both of us. "Ow! Bloody table!"

My eyes widened at the sound of Ben's voice. What was he doing up?! Could he be wanting to talk to…

"Emma? Is that you down there?" Ben called out.

Reaver and I locked eyes before whispering to each other to hide. We both dashed off to find somewhere to hide and fast. Once again, we were short on hiding places and found a large cabinet in the corner.

"Oh no, I'm **_not_ ** doing this again." I whispered harshly to Reaver.

"I'm afraid we have no choice unless you want young Benjamin to see us." He informed me when he opened the cabinet. Thank goodness there wasn't much we had to move around.

Reaver climbed in first, sitting down on top of a tower of stacked flour bags, and waited for me to climb in as well. I quickly scanned the closet, trying to find a way that I could get in there without touching him. The cabinet was awfully tight for the both of us to stay in.

"I believe Benjamin is very close to us. I suggest you climb in." he urged, adjusting himself so he was comfortable.

"But…but…"

"Sit on my lap."

My face heated at his suggestion. "No! I can't!"

"Emma? Are you playing a trick on me?" Ben's voice echoed.

Biting down on my lower lip, I quickly climbed in, only to have Reaver grab my arm and pull me into his lap. My head crashed into his chest when he managed to pull the door shut behind me.

"Ow. That hurt." I winced, squirming in his lap.

"Will you stop moving? You're crushing my legs." Reaver groaned softly, trying to help me straddle him.

When we finally stopped moving, our eyes met and the heat returned to my face when I realized how close we were.

"Emma? Are you hiding from me?" Ben asked outside of the cabinet, making both of our heads turn. Out of the crack of the door, I could see Ben walking around the kitchen in his white shirt and brown army pants. He leaned down to look under the table. "Emmmaaa…I hope you're not trying to scare me. You know it isn't going to work."

Panic surged through me as he moved closer to the cabinet. He was going to find us...together...like this. Oh Avo...

A hand on my back pushed me into Reaver's chest. "Shh...calm down. You're trembling like a leaf." Reaver whispered in her ear.

"I-I'm not scared..." I argued. "I just don't want to be found."

When his eyes fell on the cabinet, I could feel my heart race and my breathing grow shallow. A smirk appeared on his lips as he slowly stood up. "Ohhh Emma…I wonder where you're hiding?" he sang in a teasing voice.

"Don't be frightened." Reaver whispered as his hand stroked my back. Was he trying to comfort me?

Ben was only a couple of feet way from us. His hand reach right out and grabbed the knob on the door.

"Ben? What are you doing?" Emma's voice echoed, making Ben stop and turn around.

"Oh, uh nothing. Just uh...looking for some wine."

Emma laughed as she moved over to the counter where we were sitting and held up the bottle. "Uh...don't you mean like this?" she teased.

Ben's hand touched the back of his neck and rubbed it. "Oh...well what do you know. Right beside me the whole time."

A sigh of relief left my lips as I relaxed.

"Close one…" Reaver whispered as he continued stroking my back.

"Yeah…" I agreed with a shaky whisper. When I realized that Reaver still held me against his chest, I tried pulling away, only to have Reaver pull me back into his embrace. "Reaver…"

"Shh…listen." He urged me as he leaned over to peek through the crack in the door.

Frowning at his persistence, I listened and looked through the door as well.

She shook her head as she moved over to him. Instead of the frilly thing I had to wear, she was wearing a pair of baggy men's pants and long white shirt. It wasn't girly in the least bit.

"Oy. What's _**that**_ about?" I snapped at Reaver quietly. "Why is she wearing that while I'm wearing... ** _this_**?!"

Reaver rolled his eyes. "Oh come now, she refused to wear it. So she insisted that she would wear that. Besides, this makes you look-"

I quickly stopped him by holding up a hand. "Don't even finish that."

He puffed his lower lip out and pouted. "Oh you're no fun."

Rolling my eyes, I went back to watching Emma and Ben, who were now sitting where we were before.

"Sooo what brings you down here? Why does it always seem like we're meeting in kitchens at this time of night?" Ben laughed as he pulled a couple of new glasses and began pouring wine for the both of them.

I could feel Reaver steaming against me as he watched.

"That is very good wine and they're using it." he sneered. "How could they waste such an excellent wine like that?"

"Shut it, Reaver."

Emma smiled as she took the glass. "Well...someone left a certain note outside of my door."

Ben's golden brows rose up ans snorted. "A note? That's weird, I found one too."

They stopped laughing and stared at each other for a moment.

"Wait...you don't think..." Emma trailed off, trying to figure things out.

"That somebody planned this for us." Ben finished, a playful smirk appearing on his lips.

Emma giggled softly, brushing her hair back behind her ear. "It seems that a certain friend of ours might have planned this out."

Ben burst out laughing as he took a drink from his glass. "Oh yeah, and it's definitely not Reaver."

My own brows knit together in confusion. A note? Were they talking about me? I never gave them any note!

Reaver's chest rumbled with a low chuckle.

My eyes trained up to stare into his eyes through the darkness of the cabinet. "You..."

His lips pulled back, revealing his pearly white teeth. "Well I couldn't let you have all the fun with planning..."

Now this was definitely a surprise. Reaver gave both Emma and Ben notes to come downstairs. Did he plan this? Was he helping?

"That Liz. Always plotting." Ben laughed outside with Emma.

"Oh yes, she's a devious one."

"Makes me wonder if she's truly meant for Reaver after all."

Hearing Ben's comment made my heart drop.

Reaver's hand slid across my back, making every hair on the back of my neck stand up.

"Did you hear that?" Reaver whispered in my ear, making me grab his hand and pull it off of my back.

This was not helping! I was supposed to be avoiding Reaver, not sitting in his lap inside of a dark cabinet. Especially when I was in a thin cotton nightgown and he was in a crimson red robe. This had bad situation written all over it! And with him touching, hugging, and pressing his stupid lips against my ear was driving me insane!

"Eliza and Reaver?! I couldn't see it!" Emma snorted, making me feel slightly better about the situation.

"Oh come on, you don't see it at all? I mean, at first I didn't believe it, but...I keep seeing them together." Ben suggested. "Haven't you noticed?"

Emma pursed her lips. Internally, I was hoping that wouldn't agree with Ben. That she'd push the notion to the side and change the subject. Please! My life and sanity depended on it!

"Well...I mean...she was acting a little strange earlier."

Ben tilted his head to the side as he took another sip from his wineglass. "What do you mean?"

Panic set in when I realized what Emma was going to say. Curse me and my hysteria!

"Well...I went looking for her earlier and she was hiding behind some abandoned cabin. When I found her, she was talking very fast and her face was bright red. It was so...unlike her."

Ben's blue eyes widened in surprise. "Whoa...um...you don't think she was..."

"No! Of course not! I mean, I don't think so. It was just...strange."

"Well, let's hope that nothing was...happening."

Emma nodded before taking another sip. "Yeah. However, I think you might have a point there. Perhaps, there might be something between them."

Once again, my relief was destroyed along with what sanity I probably had left. Reaver was probably smirking away at their discussion, being as smug as can be. I didn't want to look at him, knowing that was probably the sight I was going to meet.

They laughed again before they grew silent.

"Uh...listen...Em...we...I..." Ben hesitated, pushing his messy blonde hair back.

Emma's eyebrows furrowed in worry. "What is it?"

Ben's eyes darted around as if he was trying to think of something to say or to avoid eye contact. "I...I need to say something."

"O-okay?"

He licked his lips. "I..." he trailed off before he growled in frustration, standing up from his seat. "I'm such a coward."

Emma watched as Ben began pacing back and forth through the kitchen, squeezing his hands together and rubbing them quickly. "What are you talking about? You're one of the bravest people I know."

"Yeah...but not with _**this**_!"

She hesitantly stood up and moved around the counter. "I'm not sure I understand what you're talking about, Ben."

He continued to pace in front of her, biting down on his lower lip rather hard. "I...I've been putting this off for too long and I don't know..."

Internally, I was both cheering for him to confess his love and scared for what might happen. Things between them could either blossom or be destroyed with a few words. It was the moment I was hoping and yet dreading to see.

Emma shook her head as her hands gripped his arms, stopping him from the quick pacing. "Ben...calm down. You're scaring me. Take a deep breath."

Ben closed his eyes and took a deep breath before pushing it back out. "I...I scare you? The almighty Hero Queen is scared of Benjamin Finn, the General to the military?" he chuckled softly.

A tiny smile appeared on Emma's lips. "Sometimes you do."

Ben relaxed a little and smiled. "Well I'm sorry if I scare you."

"It's fine." she assured him as her hands gently rubbed his arms up and down. "Now tell me, what is troubling you like this? I haven't seen you like this in a long time..."

The smile disappeared and Ben lowered his head. "I...I need to tell you something."

"I gathered that, but what's wrong?"

"I'm worried...that what I'm about to say will...change the way you look at me..." he mumbled softly.

Emma paused as she slid a hand under his chin, lifting it up so she could look into his eyes. "Ben, I would never think of you in any way that would hurt our friendship."

Ben bit his lower lip again.

My heart was beating quickly, excitement coursing through my veins. 'Oh Avo, this is it.'

He inhaled deeply before exhaling. "I...I'm not a good man."

My eyebrows shot up in confusion as the excitement left me for a moment. 'What?'

"What do you mean?" Emma questioned.

Ben sighed before continuing. "I've done things...things that I'm not proud of."

"Like what?"

He hesitated for a moment. "In my past, I've stolen...gambled...became a drunk about a dozen times...and done a few other things that I'm not proud of..." he began slowly. "Indulged in a few unsavory pastimes...and been with...well let's just say I was a bit of a ladies man in other places..."

Emma never spoke a word as she listened.

"And...I...regret it all to this day. However, I...I've been worried that you would think of me differently if you knew about my past self. What I had done and the crimes I may have committed."

Emma slowly shook her head. "Ben, you said it was in the past. This is now. You tell me all of these things that you have done in your past, but as I look at the man before me, I see none of that. You are the kindest, funniest, bravest, and most caring man I've ever met. I could never...hate you or think of you as a terrible man. You are a good man because of what you have done to overcome your past." Her hand gently touched his cheek. "Ben, you are a good man. No matter what you think of what others will say about you, you are still the brave soldier I met so many months ago at Mourningwood Fort."

My heart melted at her words. She was right. Ben was a good man. He had his flaws, but he still showed his kind heart.

A bright smile appeared on his lips. "Thanks Emma."

Her lips pulled back, showing her teeth off.

"I...that makes me feel a little better."

"No matter what, you'll always be Captain Ben Finn of the Swift Brigade. You'll always make everyone proud." she told him, rubbing his cheek with her thumb. "Especially me."

Ben slowly pulled her into a hug. "Thank you, Emma."

She hugged him back, resting her head on his shoulder, her eyes closed.

"Well...it seems that she can accept young Benjamin." Reaver commented as he watched along with me.

"That's the best part." I agreed quietly.

Ben slowly pulled away from the hug to stare down at Emma. "I feel better knowing that. But..."

Worry returned to Emma's face. "But what?"

"I...I need to do something risky for once."

Before Emma could ask what he meant, Ben cupped her chin and tilted her head up so his lips could descend upon hers.

My mouth dropped in shock as I watched Ben kiss Emma.

Her brown eyes widened in surprise as he pressed his lips to her own. About a moment later, her eyes did close before her hand slid up to his cheek, cupping it. Their lips moved together slowly as if they were testing things out. It had been the most intimate thing that they had done, other than a quick hug or a hand squeeze.

On the inside, I was screaming with massive enthusiasm. They were kissing! Finally!

Ben's hands slid up and down Emma's back, rubbing it gently as he kissed her. She kissed him back, cupping his face with both hands now.

"Well...it seems our work might be done." Reaver suggested.

"Yeah...it might be..."

Our mission was over? Wow, I didn't think we would have been able to accomplish it, but it seems that we did.

A small moan escaped Ben's lips as the kiss became more intense. As if all of the passion was coming through.

My face heated as I realized that it was possible for things to escalate...

Oh Avo, now that would be quite embarrassing.

Emma kissed him back a little harder as her hands gripped his shirt, pulling at the fabric as if she was using it as a lifeline.

"Oh my...we're getting a rather interesting show. I wonder if we'll be here all night, getting to watch-"

"Shut up." I hissed, not wanting to hear another word from his mouth. "This isn't funny."

"I never said it was, I just said it was interesting. Perhaps this is a chance for you to experience a little bit of the dangerous side."

"You're a creep." I gagged.

"Sticks and stones, Lizzie."

I glared up at him. "You know what?"

"No I don't." he replied smoothly as he leaned in closer. "Care to elaborate?"

Before I could retort, I heard something else stop me.

"Ben...stop...I...I can't do this..." Emma protested.

My eyes went back to the crack in the door to see Emma pushing Ben away from her.

"Wait...what's wrong?" Ben asked, confusion marring his face.

Emma managed to step away from him, her arms hugging herself. "I...I'm sorry, I just...I can't..." she whispered in a shaky voice, as if she was about to cry.

Ben took a step towards her, only to make her step back. "Emma, what's wrong? I don't understand..."

She shook her head quickly. "I...I shouldn't have. It's not you, Ben. Oh Avo, I just...I can't do this!" she cried before she rushed out of the kitchen, sobbing.

Ben stood there in shock for a few moments before touching his face, covering it completely. His chest heaved a few times before a groan of pain left his lips. When he lowered his hand, anger and confusion appeared on his face. Gritting his teeth, he looked around the counter before he located the wine bottle and grabbed it. A loud cry of anguish tore from his mouth when he threw the bottle against the wall, shattering it completely, letting the red liquid slosh and spray across the white walls of the kitchen.

He growled again before he rushed out of the kitchen, leaving me in complete disillusion.

What just happened?!

"What a waste. That was a very expensive and unique wine." Reaver whined next to me.

My head whirled around to glare at Reaver through the darkness of the closet. **_"You're seriously worried about the wine_**?! **_At a time like this_**?!"

He shrugged his shoulders. "What? I have a right to be angry. That was special to me."

Naturally, he had to be selfish at a time like this.

"So what?" I argued. "We just saw our plans run down the drain!"

"What are you talking about? They kissed."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Did you just miss the last few seconds of that or were you too busy worrying about that wine bottle?! Emma just pushed Ben away without a reason why! She was crying and he was distraught! Don't you ever think about anyone but yourself for once?!"

By the end of my rant, my chest was heaving with anger and frustration. I had just watched my two best friends have a tender moment that went from passionate kissing to dismissing everything and leaving them both in agony. I know it was my friends I was watching, but still, I couldn't help but feel angry, confused, and devastated.

Reaver didn't say anything for a few moments. Instead, I could see his dark eyes staring right back at me, as if he was staring into my soul. The look...scared me a little. What was going through his head? What was he thinking?

"What? You're not going to say anything?" I taunted, poking his chest with my index finger. "What happened to the confident and arrogant pervert who was just going to tell me off, huh?"

Reaver was completely silent.

"What's wrong? Did I strike a nerve? Because I-" A long and slender finger pressed to my lips, cutting me off instantly.

"Enough." he said coldly. "First of all, that wine cost me several grand and it's the rarest bottle in Albion. Secondly, I did watch the whole scuttle between our targeted lovers. I may not show it, but I am also speechless over what just occurred." Then he leaned down a little closer. "And third, You always assume who I am and what I think."

The way that he was talking...no...intimidating me, sent shivers down my spine. I wasn't sure if it was the way he was talking, the way he stared into my soul, or the fact that his finger was pressed against my lips.

I felt fear rushing through my whole body...and yet...there was something else there. What was it? Anticipation?

"And I hate to disappoint you, Dear Lizzie, but I am not always how I act."

When his finger pulled away, I felt a shaky breath leave my lips. I stared back at Reaver's emotionless expression. I could barely even think of a retort that would work. Reaver had rendered my speechless.

After a few minutes of silence, Reaver smoothed a hand over his hair and took a breath. "Now then, I understand that our goal was just shattered before our eyes, but we can figure things out."

I managed a nod. "You're right, I should go talk to Emma." I suggested as I tried to get up, only to have Reaver pull me back down into his lap.

"Yes, but not tonight. Let her have some time alone." he told me softly. "Her poor broken soul needs to rest and so does young Benjamin."

When was Reaver this wise? Was the cramped space making him go insane?

"But-" I protested before Reaver shushed me again.

"Just for tonight."

Even if I didn't want to agree to that, what other choice did I have? He had a point. Maybe they needed some time to themselves. Besides, I think Emma would question why I would be at her door at this time of night, asking if she was okay. Reaver was right, I had to wait.

"Fine." I agreed begrudgingly.

He smirked as he brushed a strand of my hair behind my ear. "Good."

After another awkward pause, I sighed. "Well...I should get to sleep." I announced as I tried to get up for the fourth time.

"Oooorrr..." Reaver said, holding onto my arm. "You could be a little selfish tonight."

Knitting my eyebrows together, I stared at him in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

His thumb began rubbing my skin gently as he held my bare arm. "You have been working so hard over the last few days. Trying to help your dear friends and protecting those around you."

"What are you getting at, Reaver?" I asked suspiciously.

"I'm saying that you need to relax and for once, be selfish and enjoy life." he explained as his other hand slowly made its way up to cup my cheek.

My face warmed up the instant his skin touched my face. "I...Reaver...what are you..."

Reaver smirked as he leaned in closer. "Just enjoy it..." Before another word could leave my lips, his own covered mine, silencing me.

My eyes widened in shock as I realized that this was actually happening. Reaver was kissing me!

Internally, I wanted to scream and push him away, of course throwing a slap in there. But I could feel my mind slowly fogging up, finding myself lost in the taste of...was that cinnamon? His lips were soft like silky pillows and they tasted like the finest cinnamon in all of Albion. It was so...intoxicating.

As if sensing that I wasn't stopping him, Reaver tilted his head slightly so our lips slanted, allowing him to deepen the kiss. The instant his lips parted, I felt myself melt from the inside out. Slowly, my eyes closed as I found myself giving in.

Reaver slid a hand around my neck, pulling me closer as I started finding myself kissing back. Smirking against my lips, he let out a low moan of pleasure, sending shivers down my spine a the sound.

The tight room around us seemed to be getting hotter and my heart beat like a drum inside of my chest. So loud that I could hear it.

As soon as it began, I felt Reaver's lips pull away. My head was spinning and I could barely find the focus that I needed to say anything.

I could hear him chuckle softly through the haziness of my mind. "Enjoy that, Dear Lizzie?"

My mouth opened to speak, but no words came out.

His slender fingers caressed my face gently, the fingertips cool against my now burning face. "I think I've rendered you speechless." As soon as his thumb touched my parted lips, I felt a soft moan leave my throat. "My my...I don't think I've ever seen you like this. It's rather haunting, but I like it."

My eyes finally adjusted to see his brown eyes and his playful smirk staring back at me. "R-Reaver...why?"

"Shhh...don't speak. Just listen to my words. You need to learn and enjoy life. You have done all you could to help your friends and you have hit a dead end." Before I could interrupt, Reaver shushed me again. "You can think things over tonight and then think of another plan for tomorrow." Then he paused. "However, for tonight, give in and succumb to your selfish desires. Do something for yourself tonight."

"I...I..."

"I will leave you here for a little bit so you can collect yourself and regain some of that strength I adore seeing." he said, brushing a strand of hair behind my ears. "And then...you may join me in my quarters."

My breath caught in my throat when his lips pressed to my ear. "If you don't want to join me, then you may sleep in another room tonight. But...if you do..." His voice lowered to a purr. "Then come back to my room and let yourself explore that dark sadistic side that you keep describing to me. It's your choice."

The fogginess returned, making me lose consciousness of what was happening. What was Reaver doing to me?

When my head cleared a few moments later, I found myself sitting where Reaver once sat in the cabinet and the seductive sharpshooter was gone.

I swallowed, feeling my dry throat gain some moisture. My hands shakily searched myself to make sure that I was still there. Heart was pounding, face was burning, palms were sweating, stomach churning, and my lips tingled.

I'm not even sure what just happened...

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 **Weeeeellllll...I've been waiting for that for a very long time. Over two years actually! ;) Totally worth it! I'm very satisfied with myself over what I created! I hope you all enjoyed this one! The Ben and Emma scene, I actually teared up writing it. I just thought it was so sweet and I really wanted to give them the romance that the game sadly denied. I so badly wanted the princess and Ben Finn to get together. But now, they...sorta...did. But why did Emma stop?! Well you'll have to find out what's gonna happen next time for them. Also, you'll have to find out what Eliza is going to do ;)**

 **Theories! I want to hear theories for the future! I had fun reading through some of the ones that you sent. Also if you want to freak out over what happened then go ahead and do that all you want. lol I will try to get the next chapter out soon! It might be a bit but I don't know yet. I hope you all have a great holiday coming up if I don't post a new chapter by then! Thank you everyone! ^_^**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey everyone! I'm back from the craziness that is the holidays and of course, killer snow lol Oh! And my new librarian job! (which is fun lol) This was a challenging chapter to write but at the same time, I enjoyed working on this one. I will warn you that from here on out, there will be some fluff. Like a little more of...well...heat happening. But not too much. Just giving you the warning ahead of time. Didn't want anyone to freak out haha But again, this is Reaver after all.**

 **Oh and I've got some writing news, I have a new Doctor Who oneshot coming out soon for those of you that like the series/fandom! lol Can't wait to post it!**

 **For those of you who read the last chapter, something exciting happened! For both of our couples! But...questions are being asked. Why did Emma push Ben away? What is Reaver's plan? And...what will Eliza do? Well you'll just have to find out!**

 **You guys know the drill, let me know what you think whether it's in a review or a private message, I always try to reply! :) Oh and don't forget to enjoy the new chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fable. If I did then you would have been able to marry Reaver or Ben Finn lol**

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 **Review Responses: Thank you to all my amazing readers! You guys made my day with all of your reviews! They all had me smiling and laughing with excitement! I loved them! You made my holiday season so much better! :)**

 **Whyamiupsolate: hahaha you'll have to wait and seeeeeee! ;) (I think we all need to! XD It's Reaver for Pete's sake!)**

 **Ishouldbesleepingrightnow: Wow, that's a lot of reviews, but I love hearing from you! Congrats on being the 50th lols I know I did! I couldn't let you see the whole thing! XD Gotta leave the good stuff for the final draft! I know I'm mean, but cliffhangers are my best friend haha I want happy endings for them too! (Even if I decide what happens) We're both romantics! Ohhh I like that idea! You'll just have to wait and see what's going to happen! ;)**

 **BloodAssassin04: Don't have a heart attack on me! hahaha Judging by the capital letters that you enjoyed it XD Your reaction had me dying XD Oh my! In class? hahaha wow that would've been hilarious!**

 **LoS: hahaha I'm happy you liked it so much! XD Mmm...you'll just have to wait and seeeee! It's Reaver, Mr. Unpredictable! You never know what he's going to do next or what's going on in that mind of his ;) lol good theories! The Reaver one had me giggling a little XD I'm sorry I can't give you all the answers you want! The story will tell all! :)**

 **ArianaIsAWESUM: lols thanks! I'm glad you like it!**

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Still dazed and confused about what just occurred in the kitchen, I found myself, walking the halls of Reaver's mansion, rubbing my lips slowly.

My hands were shaking and I could feel my legs wobbling beneath me as I walked across the fancy rugs that covered the long tiled halls of the mansion. Sweat covered my face and body and the taste of wine and cinnamon lingered on my lips.

My mind tried to piece together the events of what led up to now as if it was solving a big puzzle. First, Reaver and I were talking and drinking wine together. Second, Ben came downstairs and we were forced to hide in the dreaded cabinet again. Once inside, I remembered watching Ben and Emma talk through the door and then suddenly kissed before Emma pushed him away. Then…Reaver's lips were on mine.

So it did happen…

But…I never pushed him away. I never stopped him. _**I kissed him back**_!

My stomach churned and my heart plummeted. Did I betray myself for giving in? How could I kiss him back?! This was Reaver I kissed! _**Reaver**_! The man who hated everyone around him and kills for no reason! The selfish and arrogant sharpshooter just kissed me and was messing with my head! How dare he do this!

But….then again…in the last few days…he had saved my life…more than once. And…saved Emma…and Ben…and all of us. Maybe this was what he wanted as payment for saving-

 ** _No_**! This was still Reaver. There had to be some motive to this!

I stopped in the middle of the hall to lean against the wall, trying to calm down my nerves so I could think straight. Clearly, walking wasn't helping.

What was Reaver up to? First, he tells me that he wants to help bring Emma and Ben together and makes a deal that he'll leave me alone forever. Then, he convinces everyone that we're engaged and pretends that he's my fiancé.

When Emma was called on a mission, he went along with her. Oh wait…that was my idea to go on the mission with her.

But then he…he found Ben and I after the accident and took us to Emma so we could save her. He saved Ben and I from the balvarines when we needed it.

I shook my head, trying to ignore the good deeds he had done that night.

No…because the next day when I tried that tactic to have Emma and Ben talk, Reaver 'tripped' into that drunkard and he ruined the moment between them.

My fingers rubbed my temples when they began to ache from all of the heavy thinking I had been doing. "What am I doing?" I mumbled softly.

Could I really go back to Reaver's room? No…no I couldn't. If I did that, then I would be a hypocrite and give in to his roughish charms. If he had any, that is.

 _'Then again…'_ One part of me started before the other part argued back.

 **'No! There is no 'then again', this is Reaver we're talking about!'**

As I made my way towards Reaver's bedroom, I could hear the angry and nagging thoughts yelling at me to turn around.

No! No, I made my decision. I can't believe that I was giving in, but…I think I deserved a night to do something drastic and dangerous. I would probably regret it in the morning, whatever we would end up doing, but…at this point, I could care less. Reaver was right, I needed to be a little selfish for once.

Biting my lower lip, I continued my way, every nerve in my body on the edge of anticipation of what was to come.

Just as I was rounding a corner, I could hear a female laughing.

"Oh Reaver, you're such a tease." The woman giggled. "I've been waiting for you all night."

"Well I'm sorry, Darling. I had to take care of some business."

Curious at what was happening; I managed to peek around the corner to see a tall woman wearing…well…a very…very short night dress that cut off at her knees. The neckline plunged very far, giving her a chance to show off the gracious assets that she was given.

Her arms were wrapped around Reaver's neck, her face merely inches from his. His hands were on her waist, bringing her closer.

"Awww well...what you should've been doing was business in _**my**_ bedroom." She purred, licking her lips.

"Mm…awfully tempting. However, this business was important."

The woman flipped her blonde hair behind her shoulders. "Well since you're done, why don't you come on back to my room for this evening?" She suggested before puffing out her lower lip. "We can continue where we left off the other night at the party. You didn't play with me after Angela came by. You love spending time with me…"

"I know, Darling. I do love playing with you and I'm sorry we didn't have a chance to have time alone…"

Anger surged through me when I heard him talk to her like that. **_Darling?!_** Who was this woman?!

"Ohhh you naughty boy." She giggled, brushing a hand over his cheek. "Come here."

As soon as their lips met, I could feel burning heat rise through my cheeks. Anger surged through my entire body as I watched them kiss. What in the name of Avo was he doing?! Kissing another woman when he had just kissed me moments ago! How could he do this sort of thing to me?

Then it hit me like a sword being plunged into my stomach. **_This was Reaver_**.

Reaver was not an ordinary man who kissed another woman because he desired to leave his wife for another woman. This was Reaver who did this because he could! He didn't care who he kissed! He did it because he had no control over his urges. He did this all the time!

And here I am...acting like some scorned lover who had found their significant other kissing another person. I felt like a pathetic fool.

Reaver pulled away first and sighed. "Oh dear Alyssa. You always have the softest lips."

"Then why don't you come back to my room and we can-"

"Oh I wish I could, but I cannot tonight." Reaver dramatically sighed. "I'm far too tired this evening to continue and I wouldn't want to ruin it. Perhaps, tomorrow we could..."

The woman, Alyssa, sighed in dismay. "Very well. I'll let you get some rest. But tomorrow..."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." he said before bringing her hand to his lips. "I shall see you later."

She pulled away, giggling gleefully before disappearing down the hallway while Reaver closed the door behind him.

Once the hall was quiet, I growled softly under my breath. "You're a pathetic fool..." I grumbled to myself before slowly walking over to the door.

I knocked on the door twice before it swung open, and there stood Reaver, wearing his dark crimson robe still. His dark brows rose in surprise while his eyes wandered up and down my figure. "Well...I have to say that I've awfully surprised to see that you came. I had just asked for a bottle of wine to be brought up here."

I glared a hole through that perfectly sculpted face of his before pushing past him into the room. "I just came to get my belongings."

"Your belongings? Why would you need to do that? After all, you would be spending the night in here-"

"I'm not!" I snapped as I began searching through the drawers for my clothes that I had packed away when we had arrived.

The sound of the door closing echoed through the room. "And where would you be sleeping tonight?"

"Another room. A chair. Anything would be better than here." I grumbled, grabbing my shirt and leggings, tucking them under my arm before trying to find my skirt.

"But why? We were getting along... _ **rather well**_." he said behind me, making me jump and move away quickly. "You came back here for a reason..."

"I came here for my things." I replied curtly, moving to the next drawer to look through. It was rather hard to see since the lighting was so dim in the room and the only light was coming from the red paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling near the bed.

"You have said that..." he trailed over before I could feel him right behind me. "But...what if that thing was...my lips?"

Biting down on my own lower lip to keep in all of the anger bubbling inside of me. Reaver was just a...a pathetic womanizing cad! He did this to people every day! And he just tried to trick me into thinking that he wasn't. I was so foolish to ever think that.

Like a snake, I whipped around, with a glare on my face that could kill someone if they weren't careful. "Oh go wrap those lips around your beloved Dragonstomper." I shot back before going back to my searching to find my skirt finally. "Where are my boots?!"

Suddenly something grabbed my arm, jerking me back, while my clothing fell to the floor. "Now wait just a moment, Lizzie." Reaver leered, a hard look set on his face. "What has gotten into you? I do admire the spitfire; however, you weren't acting this way a few moments ago."

"What does it matter? I insult you all the time." I sneered, trying to pull away from him, but Reaver's grip was like iron.

"Yes, that is correct." he said before looking dead into my eyes. "But not with that much...ferocity. Now, tell me what changed your demeanor in the last few moments?"

I knew I should just ignore him, walk away with my head held high, but the liquid courage that lingered inside of my body along with the anger that was bubbling deep within kept me there.

"Well maybe I came to my senses and realized that what had happened was a mistake that I should have stopped it." I sneered, daring to take a step towards him. "Maybe I remembered what a horrible person you were and that I should just walk away when I had the chance."

"Says the young woman who spoke with such admiration for my various travels. The woman whom I spoke so eloquently about moments ago before we were interrupted. Didn't you believe a word that I had spoken about you?" He asked, moving closer to me, making me take a step back.

"Not for a second." I shot back. Was I telling the truth or lying? Honestly, I had no idea.

He chuckled softly. "Your lips say one thing, but your eyes say another. You're conflicting with yourself, Lizzie."

Huffing, I pushed past Reaver and look for my boots under the bed. As I crawled under the edge of the bed, I could hear Reaver's feet walking towards me.

"Is it because of what happened downstairs? Hm?" he pondered out loud. "How I managed to catch you off guard and stole a kiss from you?"

I told myself to ignore him. Focus on getting my clothes and getting out of here before anything could happen.

"I have a feeling that you're awfully irritated with yourself and myself as well. For letting yourself get distracted and I took the chance to kiss your delectable lips. Well...I suppose that I shouldn't blame you for having such feelings." he sighed dramatically. "However, deep down, even if you detest yourself for feeling like this...I think you enjoyed it."

Gritting my teeth, I scrambled to my feet and scowled at him. "You...you..."

Reaver smirked, placing his hands behind his back, leaning forward. "Yes? I what?"

My hands shook at my sides before I let my hand fly, slapping him across the face. "You lying...pathetic...sleazy...snake!" I screamed before trying to smack him again, only to have Reaver grab my hand, stopping me. Fear sliced through me, but it didn't stop the words from leaving my lips. "You honestly think that I enjoyed having your...revolting mouth near mine!" I gagged. "Felt like kissing a fish."

His grip tightened on my wrist when I tried to pull away. "A fish, huh? Is that what it really felt like?" When I tried jerking my hand away, he pulled me closer. "Care to try again and figure out if that's what my lips really feel like."

Gagging, I tried to get away. "You're disgusting! Like I want to taste that lingering feeling of perfume and whatever else that woman was wearing!"

Reaver stared for a moment before realization crossed his dark eyes. "Ohhhh...so you saw me and Alyssa, huh?"

Pressing my other hand to his chest, I managed to shove Reaver away.

" _ **That's**_ why you're so aggravated with me."

Quickly I scooped up my clothes and pushed past him, not saying a word. I had to get out of here before I ended up grabbing my rifle and shooting him through the skull.

"You're either disgusted that you saw us kissing or you were envious of her."

"I was neither!" I shot back as I tried to find the last of my clothes.

"Then why are you so enraged at the moment? More than usual." he pointed out, following behind me.

"Because...because..." I tried to say, but found myself speechless.

Reaver pulled me back again, spinning my body around to face him. "Because you _**are**_ jealous of what you saw." he growled as I tried pulling his hand off of me.

"Let go of me, you creep!"

"A creep now? Is that the best you've got?" he mocked menacingly. "Your names and threats are meaningless."

"Reaver." I warned lowly.

"Oh don't even begin with that tone, dear Lizzie."

Anger was bubbling inside. _**No**_. Rage. Reaver was doing everything he could to manipulate my mind.

"Earlier, when we were talking about what I admired about you..." he trailed off, holding me close. "You immediately dismissed whatever I said and started insulting me once again." My head turned to avoid his gaze. "You're being awfully stubborn to take any compliments from me. I believe you're trying to avoid your attraction towards me."

"You're wrong." I growled when I felt his other hand grip my other arm, keeping me still. "There is _**no** _ attraction."

"You are listening to _**me**_ at the moment." he told me, making my skin crawl and my cheeks heat up. "I have let you walk away from me for long enough. I want to say what I need to say and you _**will**_ listen."

I swallowed when I felt a lump rise in my throat. Everything was telling me to get away from him, but for some odd reason, I couldn't move my legs or arms. It was...as if I was trapped in his grasp.

"Yes, I did kiss Lady Alyssa. She is an old dear friend of mine and she wanted to spend the evening in my bed. However, I told her to go back to her own room." he told me, leaning in closer. "And do you know why I did that?"

Keeping my gaze on the floor, I refused to meet his eyes. But his finger slid under my chin, tilting my head up, forcing me to look. There was something in his eyes. Something that scared me deep down.

"Wh-why?" I dared to ask without thinking.

Tilting his head to the side, he smirked down at me, making my heart race again. "Because I am giving you my full attention tonight."

A dry laugh left my lips. "You've got a funny way of showing it."

He chuckled softly, rubbing the end of my chin with his thumb. "Dear Lizzie, you are far too stubborn for your own good sometimes. All I want to do is share one night with you. I do grow tired of our fights and tonight, I thought we could set down our rifles and...call it a truce."

My heart was pounding in my chest as I stared back into his eyes. What was happening to me? I couldn't move or push him away. It was like...I was under a spell.

Reaver leaned in closer until I could practically smell the cinnamon on his breath. "Lizzie..."

I swallowed down the lump that was rising in my throat.

"Relax." he breathed before leaning in closer.

But just when his lips nearly met mine, an alarm went off in the back of my head, giving me the chance to push him away. "No." I told him sternly as he stared back in surprise.

"No?"

"No." I repeated before stepping away. "You're trying to manipulate me. You always manage to control everything around you. Well...not me. You can't control me."

"Oh really now?" he mocked, folding his arms across his chest.

I shook my head. "No...no you can't. You may manipulate people with your money and success, you may be able to speak your lies about us being 'engaged'..." I said, standing up straighter. "And you believe that you can...blackmail me with your information about who I am, then go ahead and try because I'm not-"

Reaver cut me off by pushing me against the nearest wall, his lips on mine once more. Except this time it wasn't just a simple lip lock, no...this was a full on passionate kiss with lots of vigor. At first, everything in my being was screaming at me to stop. That I needed to push him away and possibly end up killing him.

And yet...I found myself slowly relaxing in his arms and kissing back.

His lips moved against mine while his hands slid across my neck to cup my cheeks, drawing me closer. A sigh left my lips as I let him take control of the kiss. My body was tingling from my head all the way down to my toes. Every movement of his lips made a flame begin to build in my stomach and spread throughout my entire being. What was he doing to me?

Reaver moaned softly as his thumbs caressed my cheeks, tilting his head to the side to deepen the kiss.

Slowly and shakily, my hands moved up to grip at his robe covered arms, my fingers digging into the silk. My legs felt like liquid beneath me and that I would collapse any second. At the back of my mind, I could hear that nagging voice telling me to push him away. But there was also another voice that told me to keep going and to give in. Which voice was right? At this point, I had no idea which one was in control.

My heart jumped when I felt his tongue sliding across the seam of my lips, asking for permission. When did Reaver ever do that?!

Out of curiosity to see where this lead, I kept my mouth closed to prevent him from gaining entrance. This only fueled him to grip my hip tightly before his teeth dug into my lower lip, making me gasp. Quickly, he manged to slide past my lips and began exploring, grazing his tongue with my own.

It felt weird...but slightly pleasant.

The kiss grew more aggressive as his hands began moving across my body, making the small flame in my stomach build up. What was Reaver doing to me?!

He bit down on my lip again, making me gasp once again. To give him a little payback, I took a chance to bite his own lip to let him have a taste of his medicine. But instead of a gasp, he growled like an animal before pulling me away from the wall and began leading me blindly somewhere.

Haze filled my head as I followed him, however, a small voice at the back of my head could be heard, but just barely.

 ** _Stop...don't do this..._**

I could hear it, but I was so enthralled by Reaver's passionate kiss that I could barely think straight. The voice disappeared for a moment when Reaver's hands slid around my hips, pulling me closer. But then it returned...

 ** _He's using you...you're just another bed mate to him...another lover..._**

Was the voice in my head right? Was I just another one of Reaver's conquests? Then the voice grew louder.

 ** _You need to stop this! Reaver doesn't care! He never will! You're just a woman that he can never have and he wants you only for that reason!_**

The haze in my brain slowly began to fade, making me realize what I was doing. My eyes opened to see that Reaver was pulling me towards his bed.

 ** _You need to stop! STOP!_**

Struggling against Reaver's grip, I managed to pull away, gasping for air and let my hand fly, slapping Reaver across the face as hard as I could. He released me as we stumbled away from each other.

Heavy breathing left his lips as he held his injured cheek, staring at me with a look of shock and confusion.

Gathering my thoughts and feelings, I realized that I needed to leave. NOW.

Without a word to Reaver, I quickly found my clothes and ran out of the room. When I opened the door, a startled servant stood outside with a bottle of wine and two glasses. I stared at him for a moment before snatching the bottle from the man and took off down the hall.

Dread and anger filled my veins as I rushed down the hallway of the mansion. How could I...how could I even-? How could I kiss him like that?! What was wrong with me?! It felt like I had no control over my emotions or my body. My stomach churned at the thought of kissing him, but...was it a sickening feeling...or anticipation? My heart was racing rapidly and my entire body was shaking still.

Shaking my head, I tried to focus on staying calm.

My eyes trailed down to see that I had collected everything except for my boots and my bag full of supplies. 'Great...guess I'm going barefoot for a bit.'

In my other hand, I had a bottle of Yellow Fairy. "Hmm...good stuff." I mumbled under my shaky breath. "Maybe this will help me clear my head and help me sleep..."

Avo only knew how much of this bottle I would be drinking tonight.

* * *

 **Wow...now that was a little tough to write but I'm proud of how it came out. Did I scare you too much with that chapter? haha I hope not! Blushing a lot over what I wrote in this chapter! Never tried that before! Hopefully you guys enjoyed that little crazy moment!**

 **I really hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter! This is getting crazy for Eliza since she has no idea what's going on with her mentally and physically. Especially since she's never experienced anything like this before. I hope I did a good job with her mental descriptions.**

 **Anyways, until next time. Let me know what you think about the story, if you have any theories, and of course ideas. I love hearing your suggestions that I could do to the story! I'll try to update the next chapter sometime in the next month. Thanks everyone! ^_^**


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